Sort of Antipathy
by BlackEyedGirl
Summary: Sequel to Strange Empathy. The end of the war draws closer and Hogwarts still hasn't learned to work together. Harry and Draco get closer, but the path ahead won't be easy for them or the people trying to help them. HD slash. COMPLETE. AU from OOTP
1. Chapter 1

Title: Sort of Antipathy  
Rating: T  
Pairing: Harry/Draco, (some Hermione/Ron)  
Characters: Harry, Draco, Snape, Hermione, Ron, DA  
Summary: Sequel to Strange Empathy. The end of the war draws closer and Hogwarts still hasn't learned to work together. Harry and Draco get closer, but the path ahead won't be easy for them or the people trying to help them.

A/N: This is the sequel to Strange Empathy, which is a friendship fic, but this is slash. There's still a lot of other story however, and none of the romances are explicit, so if you read the first story, give this one a try even if you're not normally a Harry/Draco shipper. The story is finished and in beta, so a new chapter should be posted every day or so. The entire story will be up before HBP is out, I promise! Think that's it, so read and enjoy...

"Sympathy constitutes friendship; but in love there is a sort of antipathy, or opposing passion. Each strives to be the other, and both together make up one whole."  
-_Samuel Taylor Coleridge

* * *

Draco ordered the house-elf out of his room with a haughty wave. When the door closed he locked it with the strongest charms and hexes he could muster. Only then did he allow the habitual sneer to fall off his face. It was replaced by an expression of bone-deep weariness which was somehow far more troubling. He looked much younger than his seventeen years. Draco crawled into bed and closed his eyes, but it was at least an hour before his breathing began to slow and even._

_He was lost in the woods. Trees battered his face and strange noises were all around him. He pushed at the branches but no matter how far he went he couldn't get out of the darkness. Suddenly, without any obvious transitory phase, he was in a small room. Faint wand-light illuminated it, but could do little to dispel the gloom. Draco looked around to find amused green eyes watching him._

'_Finally! I've been waiting for you to fall asleep for ages.'_

_Draco said nothing. Harry couldn't hear him. Strange auditory hallucinations on the train home notwithstanding, they weren't telepathic. Harry couldn't see him either, so how his eyes were following Draco so accurately was a mystery._

'_I was just going to come in,' Harry continued, 'but I thought your house would be warded. I wasn't sure if trying to break into the heir's head would set off the alarms. So I called you here instead.'_

_How? Draco tried to speak._

_Harry seemed to know what he would say anyway. 'I'm not really sure how it works. I did get into Professor Snape's head when I was asleep once though. So I thought I'd call you and see if it worked. I _did _promise we'd talk before September. So...'_

_Harry settled himself on the bed, pulling the ratty duvet round his feet, and picked up the piece of parchment beside him. He began to read:_

'_Draco,_

_I already explained why I'm writing this way rather than owling. I'd like to be wrong though. Are things bad there? I'm not asking you to tell me whether Lucius is hiding out in your house, but whether he is or not, the ministry revoking their pardons can't have helped things back home. I don't have much of an idea though, owl post isn't safe this way either, and all the Prophet's said is that Fudge resigned and the interim government tried to re-arrest everybody he released after the fight at the ministry. So I'm basically sitting here wondering whether you've died and no one's told me.'_

_Harry took a deep breath, the combination of memories of the ministry fight and his continued helplessness overwhelming his composure. In a few seconds it was back, and he continued._

'_If Voldemort had killed you he'd probably be here already though. I'm sure it should be comforting to know that if you're still alive someone, somewhere, is still fighting. Still, I worry about you. There wasn't much time to talk last year after you got it. So if you want to write back, go ahead. I have nothing else to do but practice some of the quieter spells. How I'm going to learn apparition I have no idea! Talk soon._

_Love,  
Harry'_

Harry smiled, waved, and released Draco back into his own dreams. Yet even the one where he fought off a horde of acromantulas was somehow less memorable than Harry's tired smile as he signed off. That kind of casual affection, so prevalent among the trio (for lack of any other way to describe the three Gryffindors bonded since first year), was mostly missing in the Slytherin common room. He doubted it was quite so open for anyone else even within the Gryffindors. Ron Weasley, after all, had been designated what Harry would miss the most. Not all of those mocking that had been Slytherins. He had scoffed at of course, but even back then he had, momentarily, regretted that there was too much suspicion amongst the Slytherins for that kind of devotion. Now, seeing how Voldemort treated his followers, Draco valued that loyalty even more.

* * *

A week or so later Harry was pulled from his own disturbing dreams.

_Draco greeted him abruptly, 'I don't think the wards go off if I call you. But if I say go you need to leave.'_

_Harry looked around Draco's room curiously. It was expensive, even without knowing what the pieces ornamenting the shelves were, you could still tell. It was a little intimidating. Turning, something caught his eye and he grinned. A black and white fluffy bird. Ron wasn't the only person whose dedication to their team showed in the decoration. He relaxed. _

_Draco didn't. 'They know you're not in your house, you know. The room you were in the first time – you're not there anymore, and they know that. This, I imagine, means that you're in the Order's headquarters. You should realise that it isn't safe. If they could find out where in London it was, you'd all be dead. But somehow I doubt I'm going to make you move somewhere safer. So I'll just read my letter, shall I?'_

_Harry smiled. He couldn't work out why Draco was still so uncomfortable with normal things like letter writing. He seemed much more at ease when they were grabbing conversations or practice duels from under the collective noses of the school. Risking their lives, in other words. In this, much safer, ordinary way of communicating (if you discounted the mind-speak) he was out of his depth._

_Draco sat stiffly in his chair, parchment in hand. _

'_Dear Harry,_

_I hope you're well. In a way, I'm having the same problem you wrote about - I think I would probably hear if you were dead, but I wonder nevertheless. _

_I'm fine, as you can see I hope. I don't want to get into what's happening. That might set the wards off, even if this doesn't. But nothing terribly bad is happening. Well, it is, but not to me. And not to anyone we know, I think. I'm not as well informed as you might imagine. The new ones, you know what I mean, get less access. I'm probably getting as much of my information from the Prophet as you are. And if you're with Weasley and Granger you're definitely getting more news than I am. _

_I know you probably can't go out much, but at least if you're with them you can practice properly. You mentioned that you can't perform much magic when you're with your relatives. I have, mostly, mastered apparition. I'll be taking the test next week. I'm sure the three of you will be doing it soon as well. Maybe we can take our practices slightly further afield?_

_Anyway, I should probably go. Before my silencing spell falls down and they start wondering why I'm talking to myself.'_

_Draco paused, as if unsure whether he should read the next part._

'_It will be good to see you again in a few weeks...I've missed you._

_Draco.'_

Draco cut off the connection so abruptly that Harry woke up with a start. He looked over at Ron, blissfully asleep, and debated whether he should wake him. Ron had been strange about Draco this summer though, almost as if the last term hadn't happened. It probably wasn't helped by the fact that Hermione, every so often, would express sudden concern that Draco was okay. Harry decided not to wake anyone up, but the memory of the awkward worry in Draco's eyes prevented him from sleeping himself.

He wandered downstairs quietly. Tiptoeing through the hall, he made it to the kitchen without incident. Putting the kettle on for tea without turning the light on, Harry nearly jumped out of his skin at the polite cough from the table.

'Can't sleep?' Remus asked kindly.

'Can't stop thinking,' Harry amended.

'Neither can I.' Remus responded.

Harry turned the light on and frowned at the circles under his adopted godfather's eyes. Staying in this house wasn't good for either of them. Last year had almost been better; both of them numb with grief at Sirius's loss. This year they had too much time to think, to be suddenly surprised by a memory. Harry felt a wave of guilt that his current upset wasn't for his dead godfather, but for a vague disquiet about a perfectly well friend. It was worsened by the fact that Remus obviously assumed that his unhappiness was because of Sirius, and the knowledge that on most of the previous occasions it had been did nothing to assuage this.

'Professor...Remus. Are you okay?'

'Aren't I supposed to be the one asking you that?'

'I'm okay, honest. It wasn't...wasn't about him. Not this time anyway.'

Lupin met Harry's eyes squarely. 'It's okay that it wasn't. Sirius wouldn't want that for you. To be mourning him forever. It's okay to forget sometimes. That's how we cope.'

Harry met Remus's smile with barely concealed disbelief. Neither of them coped. They just got on day to day because they had to. Lupin might think of this as coping, but Harry knew was simply survival. After this was over, then everybody would have a chance to mourn, but right now, callously, there just wasn't time.

Remus clearly didn't notice his scepticism, and continued, 'Although I'd rather you forgot for a happier reason than worrying about someone else. Is it Draco?'

'I can't help thinking something bad's going to happen to him too.' Harry tried to bite back the "too", but it was too late. Draco wasn't supposed to be on a par with his godfather, and his best friends. And he certainly wasn't supposed to be on the list of people that Harry was terrified of getting hurt.

Remus didn't seem to mind. 'Harry, we'll get him clear long before anything goes wrong. Him and Severus both. You shouldn't take all this on yourself. That's what we're here for.'

And that's what got Sirius killed, Harry thought angrily. But he smiled agreement for Remus's sake. Pouring them both tea, they talked about happier things until Remus steered him back to Ron's bedroom.

'Goodnight, Harry. Try and sleep well.'

'I will. You too.'

Remus ruffled Harry's hair affectionately, and walked up to his room.

When Harry crept back into his bed, it was a long time before he fell asleep, and when he did it was to images of Draco turning into Sirius, and Sirius to Remus, and then back again. All dead or dying, accusing him until their voices were cut off, only to glare at him with dead eyes. He forced himself awake, and stayed that way until dawn, staring blankly at the ceiling, counting cracks to stave off further nightmares.


	2. Chapter 2

'Watch it, Malfoy!' Harry exclaimed, as a familiar blond shoved past him.

'Sorry, Potter, didn't see you down there. Pity fame can't buy you a few more inches.' Malfoy gazed pointedly down at Harry.

This time Harry's glare was entirely genuine. Draco was now of a similar height to his imposing father, six foot and rising. Harry, on the other hand, never tall, was beginning to realise that his promised growth spurt may not be coming. Draco was about a head taller than him, and as for Ron ... Harry just about reached his shoulder. It occurred to him now that he had simply been glaring at Malfoy for while now, and eventually he was either going to have to move, or respond in kind.

'Pity the famous Malfoy fortunes can't buy Daddy a pardon. Or did they all get spent on it first time round?' There. Sharper than he would have liked, but this is what they expected of him.

Malfoy sneered, then turned his back on Harry and walked to meet his friends. After a slight pause, Harry turned as well, Ron and Hermione following behind. Luna, Neville, and Ginny were all there already. And Harry was certain that somewhere around there would be another DA contingent. They seemed to have the idea that he was in need of protection.

Hermione sat down, and then turned to look at Harry in concern. 'Are you okay?' she whispered.

'I'm fine,' he responded in confusion. 'Why?'

'Draco,' she answered quietly.

Harry ignored Ron's snort. 'What about him? That? We've done it before.'

'I know,' she answered, 'but you haven't seen each other, and then the first time you do it's...Oh fine.' She lowered her voice still further to mutter, 'Boys!'

Harry looked over at Ron to commiserate, but the grin he returned was half-hearted. Harry frowned. Something needed to be sorted out here, but he wasn't at all sure what.

* * *

'Mr Potter, the Headmaster would like to see you.' Professor McGonagall spoke quietly, but everyone around Harry heard her. 

'What did I do?' he blurted out, prompting a sharp smile from the Deputy Headmistress.

'Guilty conscience, Mr. Potter?' she inquired.

'No, Professor. Just curious. Sorry.'

'Don't look so worried. And as for the rest of you, get to the Great Hall! Mr. Potter will join you all shortly.

Harry followed Professor McGonagall up two flights of, thankfully still, stairs, and up to the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

'Pepper Imps,' she said, gesturing for Harry to enter.

He rode the spiral staircase to the top of the tower, and entered with trepidation. He wasn't afraid of the Headmaster exactly, it was just that their meetings tended to end with confusion, the hurling about of things, or the vague feeling that you'd given away more than you knew. The only possible exceptions to this were the end of year meetings after he had achieved something, but this seemed unlikely on the first day of term.

'Headmaster?' he inquired, softly.

Dumbledore looked up from his books. Harry almost stepped back. The Headmaster looked old all of a sudden, and tired. Then he smiled, and there seemed no reason for concern. Harry was growing up, it was perfectly logical that Dumbledore seemed older.

'Harry, my dear boy!' Dumbledore exclaimed. 'Are you well?'

'Yes, thank you, Headmaster.'

'I suppose you must be wondering why I wanted to see you so early in the term?'

'I _was_ curious…' Harry replied, cautiously.

'I am going to ask you to do something, Harry. It is, of course, open to you to refuse. If you agree, you should know that you have the full support of myself and the staff. _All_ of the staff.'

'Okay…' he answered, in confusion.

'The usual practice is to ask this in a letter, but we felt in this case it would be best to ask you in person. Once again, I assure you, Harry, you need not agree.'

'I understand, Headmaster.'

Professor Dumbledore began again, formally. 'Harold James Potter, in recognition of the services you have given to your school, Hogwarts wishes to confer on you the title of Head Boy.'

Harry froze. When he started again, it was not to say yes or no, rather: 'Don't you need to be a Prefect?'

Dumbledore corrected him gently, 'Your father wasn't.'

'I knew that,' Harry murmured.

'Harry, this is a great deal of additional responsibility, which, as you know, is why I did not appoint you as a prefect. But the older students respect you, the younger ones, of course, idolize you.' Here Dumbledore's eyes twinkled brightly at Harry's look of fright. 'I feel you are the ideal person to give the students someone to look up to, and to look _to_ in times of crisis. He continued gravely, 'These are dangerous times, Harry. I regret burdening you with this, but you were the clear choice.'

'Not Draco?'

'Mr. Malfoy commands a great deal of respect within his own house, but outside it he is, shall we say, distrusted. Additionally, if I gave him this responsibility, Voldemort would expect him to use it for his own ends. I am unwilling to subject him to a greater risk of danger than he is already suffering.'

Harry smiled slowly. 'Then yes, Headmaster, I would be honored.'

Dumbledore instantaneously lost the air of gravity. 'Excellent! Then I believe you should proceed to dinner. I will announce the news to the school before we eat.'

'Umm…excuse me, Headmaster. One more thing…who's Head Girl?'

The Headmaster smiled brightly. 'I believe you know her. Miss Susan Bones?'

'Not Hermione?' Harry replied, shocked.

'Two Gryffindors, Harry.'

'Then I don't want it, Hermione deserves it more,' he answered, shaking his head vigorously. 'She's wanted this since first year…And both my parents were Gryffindors!'

'Harry, the school has made the mistake before of undervaluing some of its houses. We do not want to repeat history's mistakes.'

He was still shaking his head.

The Headmaster walked to one side of the room, and turned his back to Harry. Harry heard a quiet muttering. He sat silence for a few minutes, and then the door burst open.

Hermione strode towards him, Professor McGonagall trailing in her wake. 'Harry! You have to do this!' He opened his mouth to respond, but she was still speaking. 'The school _needs_ you to be Head Boy. And Susan will be a good Head Girl.' There was a slight trembling to her voice there, but she continued. 'Professors Dumbledore and McGonagall are right, we can't have two Gryffindors. What is it you keep saying about house unity?' Her eyes were bright with disappointed tears, but she smiled teasingly at him.

'I can't...'

'Yes, you can,' she instructed. 'I'm telling you to.'

He met her eyes. 'This is what you think is best?'

'I _know_ it's best,' she answered softly.

'Okay then,' Harry said in resignation.

Dumbledore looked pleased, 'Excellent. Now, dinner time I believe. I will be there shortly, Minerva.'

Dismissed, Harry, Hermione and Professor McGonagall left the room. When they reached the Great Hall, Professor McGonagall put a hand out to halt them before they rejoined the Gryffindors. 'I'm very proud of you, Ms Granger.' She gave Hermione a gentle look, before turning to Harry. 'And you too, Mr Potter.' Harry nodded at her, and then led Hermione quietly to the table.

'So?' Ron asked, excitedly, leaning across the table. 'What was it?'

'You'll find out in a minute,' Harry answered tiredly.

'What?' Ron said, disbelievingly. 'Swore to secrecy?'

'Not exactly,' Hermione responded quietly, before turning away.

Ron frowned in aggravation, but gave up when it became obvious that the two of them were going to make him wait.

Harry was looking around the room. He saw Susan enter, looking excited enough to burst. She gave him a secretive smile, and he found himself smiling back. He _liked_ Susan, he really did. And she would make a good Head Girl. It was just that Hermione would be better, and it was his fault she wouldn't get the chance to show it.

Dumbledore finally entered, and Professor McGonagall brought the room to a hush. The sorting hat was sitting on a stool in front of the High Table. She looked towards the line of nervous first years, and gestured towards it. 'Abbott, Miriam.'

There was a murmur of disquiet.

'No song?' Ron asked.

'RAVENCLAW!' the hat boomed. The cheer from Ravenclaw's table was decidedly half-hearted.

'Doesn't seem that way,' Seamus answered, leaning towards them.

'Maybe it's because we... because we didn't listen last year,' Neville offered nervously.

The first years, who of course hadn't noticed anything wrong, were continuing to be sorted. Gradually the older pupils shrugged off the strangeness, and became more involved in cheering their new recruits. The huddle around Harry still looked concerned.

When the last first year was sorted, Dumbledore stood up. 'Welcome, welcome!' the Headmaster proclaimed. 'To those of you returning to us, I hope the summer was well spent forgetting everything your Professors' taught you last term. And to the first years, don't be concerned, you'll have plenty of time over this term to learn new things to forget. Just a few notices before we begin. Firstly, I am pleased to announce that we have retained Professor Metus's service for this school year. This makes her the first Defence professor in over a decade to remain with the school longer than one year.' He paused for the clapping. She may not have been the most popular of professors, but this was undoubtedly an achievement.

'Secondly, it is my great pleasure to announce our new Head Girl and Boy. Susan Bones...'

As a table, Hufflepuff rose to cheer. Various parts of the other tables clapped too – Susan was well-liked. The six and seventh year Gryffindors were silent.

Ron finally spoke indignantly, 'What's wrong with him? It should be you up there!' He reached a hand to Hermione across the table.

She smiled at him, ferocious in his support. 'Couldn't have two, it wouldn't be fair.'

'What?'

'...and Harry Potter!' Ron nodded in understanding, but continued to watch Hermione as Gryffindor screamed their approval of this choice. Harry was surprised at the support he received from the other houses. Even those who might have had a shot if he had said no were clapping enthusiastically. He saw Terry, Ernie and Justin all applauding as loudly as everyone else. At the Slytherin table of course, Draco was either faking disapproval, or out for Harry's blood. His supposed cohorts were equally silent, but some of the younger Slytherins, whether caught up in the moment, or remembering Harry's campaign last year, were clapping as well.

Professor McGonagall beckoned Harry and Susan towards the stage. They shook hands with the Headmaster, received their badges, and then bowed to the students. When Harry had scurried back to his seat, he slung an arm over Hermione's shoulder, and whispered into her hair, 'I hope you're right about this.'

'I know I am,' she whispered back. 'You're going to be great.'

'Thank you,' he muttered in response.

'I meant it. It's going to be fine.'

'That's not what I was thanking you for.'

'I know.'


	3. Chapter 3

Severus Snape looked at the clock for the fifth time in as many minutes. This was the first chance he would get this term to test the boys' occlumency, and they were late. Experimentally he reached out with his mind. They were together somewhere.

'_You're sure you're okay?' That was Harry._

'_Harry, do you really imagine I thought I was in the running? Death Eaters don't get made Head Boy.'_

'_You're not a Death Eater.'_

'_Technically...' Draco trailed off at the look on Harry's face. 'It doesn't matter at any rate. They think I am. The school and him. So Dumbledore's right. It wouldn't be safe. Besides...' Draco smirked. 'You needed another title. "The boy-who-lived", "Gryffindor's golden boy", "The boy-who-bloody-wouldn't die"... You needed Head Boy to finish the collection.'_

_Harry scowled at Draco who simply laughed._

_Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger walked into the room._

_Granger threw her arms around Draco who, after a few moments confusion, patted her back. She was talking too quickly to work out what she was saying, but he picked up "worried" and "your father" and "Azkaban." She hugged him again tightly before letting go. Weasley seemed displeased, but nodded at Draco in acknowledgement._

_Draco nodded back in reply._

_Ron didn't appear to want to say anything more to Draco, and instead began a spiel about his errand, 'We've lost a few of the fourth and fifth years. That's it. All the sixth and seventh years are with us. They're worried, but they trust you, mate.'_

_Harry looked perplexed at that, but bobbed his head sharply in acceptance. 'Okay then. We're ready.' _

_Snape managed the difficult task of looking at his clock without losing his connection. They were ten minutes late now, and whatever this was, he was a Professor and his instructions should come first. In addition to that, clearly Harry needed more practice. It had been child's-play to break into his mind. Severus decided to grab his attention, and instead of tugging on his own connection to Harry, prodded at the scar. There was a bang, and the connection died._

Severus rubbed his temples wearily. He either needed to stop doing that, or start drugging his coffee with pain relievers. Finally, another five minutes late, there was a knock on his door.

'Enter,' he snapped.

Harry and Draco sidled in.

Again, Severus had the fleeing thought that Hogwarts was playing tricks on him. When Harry, a week ago, had stepped up to receive his Head Boy badge, there had been more than one Professor who had whispered "James" as if to ward off spirits. Now, in his seventh year, Harry was as close a match to James as he would ever be - there was little difference between seventeen and twenty-one. Until you got close enough to see the green eyes, and register the tentative half-smile rather than James Potter's smirk, you could be looking back twenty years.

Perhaps because Lucius hadn't been popular outside Slytherin, or perhaps just because of the side he chose, there was less whispering about Draco. But to Snape he could be looking at the boy he had idolised at school. Draco had his father's fair skin and hair, his thin face and sharp chin, his grey eyes, and all of his father's poise. Narcissa had lent the child slightly softer features, and a little warmth to his eyes, that was all.

Minerva, he was sure, would be able to pick out more of them. Any of the Weasleys of course, whether with Weasley or Prewett looks. The new Head Girl. Longbottom. There was a McKinnon in the third year. The list went on.

Hogwarts was full of ghosts.

Severus shook himself out of the morbid thoughts and glared at the two boys. He didn't need to say anything - they would eventually explain themselves to avoid his silence.

'We're sorry we're late,' Harry offered eventually. Severus remained silent and, as predicated, Harry continued to talk. 'We lost track of time.' He kept waiting. 'There was a DA thing.' Ah.

'Explain to me why your after-class duelling club prevented you from keeping an appointment which is intended to help you protect your mind, and thus the school, from the Dark Lord?

'We were discussing the Slytherin problem.'

Snape drew his brows together. 'Problem?'

Draco was glaring as well now, although he looked more amused than offended. Harry corrected himself. 'The problem of not having any in the DA.'

'Did you at least resolve it?' Severus asked, not expecting the answer.

'Yes,' Harry responded plainly.

'Enlighten me then, Mr Potter.'

'We're bringing some in,' he answered, as if it was obvious.

Draco chose to speak now, having let Harry deal with the awkward bit. 'Yes, apparently Potter's little club is in need of some Slytherin intelligence,' he drawled in amusement. 'I, of course, selflessly agreed.'

'That's one.'

'Draco's picking the rest,' Harry added.

'And how, exactly, do you intend to do that, Mr Malfoy?' Severus asked belittlingly.

'That, Professor, is where we need your assistance.'

'How did I know I would be involved in this exercise in some way?' he asked with a longsuffering sigh.

'Because you read our minds?' Harry responded quickly, with some of Draco's sarcasm.

'How many times, Mr Potter, must I explain that "mind-reading" is a muggle term? The mind is much more complex. And all I saw from your mind was that Mr Weasley and Ms Granger believe that you have the support of most of the group.'

'They think so. There was a survey. They all had the summer to get used to the idea anyway.'

'So? What is it that you require of me?' Snape asked.

'It's two things, actually,' Draco amended. 'A potion, or two potions to be accurate. But the assistance we require now is practice.'

'Which is what you both should be doing anyway,' Snape pointed out.

'To be precise, _I _need to practice Legilimency,' Draco said.

'To pick the Slytherins,' Severus realised.

'Yes. I know who I want, but I make absolutely certain.'

'Who were you thinking of?'

'Nott, Blaise and Daphne.'

'You're sure of Mr Nott?'

'Not exactly. I know what his father does after all.'

'And what your father does,' Harry observed quietly.

'Which is the problem. He's never been particularly involved in the anti-muggle thing. Most of the time it's hard enough to drag him away from books long enough to leave the dungeons. I _think_ he could be persuaded.'

'As well as Mr Zabini and Ms Greengrass?'

'I don't think they'll require much persuasion. Blaise is out for himself, but I don't think he wants to kill people. Daphne is...'

'Ms Greengrass is the Goddaughter of Andromeda Tonks, correct?'

'Wait,' Harry called. 'I thought she wasn't mentioned in pureblood circles? Didn't Tonk's mother marry a muggle?'

'She did,' Snape replied. 'But her mother is...this is not entirely relevant. Draco, do you wish to practice or not?'

'Yes, Professor.' Draco assured him. 'I need to be able to see intent without any of them being able to tell I'm checking.'

'In other words, Mr Malfoy, you want me to teach you in,' Snape checked the clock again, 'thirty minutes, how to perform Legilimency wandlessly and voicelessly, without it being detectable?'

'Yes, Professor.'

Severus just looked at them. The two squirmed a little under his gaze, but didn't look away. 'I imagine we should begin then. Eye contact is vital, particularly if you are forgoing the use of a wand. A voice command is useful of course, as it focuses the spell as much as the wand does. But, as I _hope _you both remember, intent is vital in performing magic. Neither of the things you need to do are particularly complex - you have been taught how to perform Legilimency, how to be subtle in occluding your mind, and how to perform magic without aids – the difficult part is doing all of it together. Focus on the question you want answered, ask something, not necessarily the same question, and then concentrate on how the spell works. Is that clear?'

Draco nodded.

'Begin then.'

'Have you heard about Potter's duelling club?' Draco asked with eyes on Snape.

'I have,' Severus answered levelly. 'Why?'

Draco shook his head. 'Nothing.'

'Try again,' Snape instructed.

When they had repeated the attempt six or seven times with no success Draco turned to Harry. 'You try.'

'I can't ask a Slytherin these questions...'

'I know, but if you do it, you can try on me, and then I can better see how it's done. You're better at this anyway.' The last part was muttered, but Harry heard and smirked.

He turned to Snape. 'Have you heard about the DA?'

'I have...' Snape answered. '...and I felt you use Legilimency.'

Harry cursed quietly. 'Again?'

'If I could find some way of combining the two of you, I could create a near-perfect student...' Snape mused. He looked as if he was seriously contemplating it as a solution, and both boys turned fearful. 'But as that endeavour, however scholarly, would be frowned on by the Headmaster, I suggest you perform the spell on Draco, and hope that clarifies the method, if not the force used...'

Harry obliged. 'Have you heard of the DA?'

'Yes. Ow!' Draco yelped. 'I think they might notice that!'

'That's the point!' Harry growled. 'And that was as subtle as I can make it - it's not normally something I'm worried about.'

'That, I knew. Subtlety has never exactly been your strong point,' Draco replied. 'It probably doesn't help that you live inside my head half the time anyway.'

'Probably not,' Harry agreed.

'Actually...' Draco looked thoughtful. 'What if we used that?'

'What?'

'If I asked the question while you were in my head, do you think you could control it?'

Severus looked dismissive. 'Impossible. You cannot perform magic through someone else's body. Not without an Imperius curse. And even then you are limited to the user's own power and knowledge.'

'Try anyway?' Harry asked, grinning at Draco.

Draco nodded, and focused on Snape again. 'Have you heard of the DA?'

'Yes.'

Draco was smiling. 'They gave you a token. Something gold to let you in. You trust Harry, and the seventh years, but the fourth year Gryffindors worry you.'

'You don't need Legilimency to tell that,' Severus noted, unimpressed.

'You were impressed with something Longbottom and Weasley did with the security.'

Severus paused. 'It worked?'

'Seemed like it,' Harry answered. 'I got the same impressions Draco did. You didn't feel anything?'

'It felt as if Draco was attempting Legilimency. Not as if he succeeded. They won't feel anything.'

'Are you positive...?' Draco started.

Severus interrupted him, 'Are the two of you entirely unconcerned that you just achieved something which should be impossible according to all known magical law?'

'Not unconcerned exactly...' Draco placated, 'More, looking at it from a different perspective. We want to fix the problem quickly.'

Harry smiled apologetically, 'I'm sorry Hermione isn't the one doing this. She'd be excited...'

'Indeed.' Severus sighed. This was not the day to be distracted by the interesting research path. 'Very well then, try again. Even more carefully this time. Upheavals in the nature of the world as we currently understand it shall have to wait for a quieter moment.'

* * *

A/N: Reviews would be nice guys... (Thank you HecateDeMort) The hit counter tells me that people are reading, but I don't know what you like or don't like...so tell me! 


	4. Chapter 4

Harry was waiting nervously in the empty Charms classroom. In theory, no one else should turn up, but it was late in the evening, and there was always a possibility that a couple looking for privacy would show up. Or anyone planning mischief they couldn't discuss in their common room.

Draco's head peered through the doorway, before he entered cautiously. 'Are you prepared?'

'Yeah. You?' Harry asked.

'I think so. They're all going to show up here anyway. Blaise and Nott probably think I'm plotting something. Daphne might think I want to ask her out...'

'Do you like her?' Harry inquired, unthinkingly.

Draco smirked, 'She's not really my type. I doubt I'm hers anyway. Have you ever talked to her properly? She's not exactly like Pansy or Tracey.'

'You mean she's not a giggling idiot?'

'They're not idiots,' Draco corrected. 'But you're right, she doesn't giggle. You would like her though, she plays Quidditch. She's probably going to be our keeper this year.'

'I didn't think you took girls.'

'It's not a _rule_. It's just that certain captains have had a rather medieval towards girls in the team. But as I'm captain now, and all the old members are gone, I asked her to try out. So it's possible she thinks I want to talk to her about Quidditch. But when a boy asks a girl to an abandoned classroom late at night...you do see where I'm going with this, Potter? Or do the Gryffindors not spoil their innocence that way?'

Harry flushed slightly, 'Yes, _Malfoy, _I understood perfectly. I was just asking...'

'Why?'

'Because...' Harry recovered. 'I was checking that wasn't the reason you wanted her in the DA.'

Plausible as that explanation was, Draco glowered at him. 'Don't trust me?'

'Would you trust Ron to be objective about Hermione?'

Draco looked amused. 'He _is_ rather besotted, isn't he?' Then he glared. 'Did you just compare me to Weasley?'

Harry laughed.

'_If_ I had romantic feelings towards Daphne, I wouldn't be mooning after her like a love-struck idiot.'

'But you don't, so I guess we'll never know how Draco Malfoy looks when he's love-struck.'

Draco didn't look entirely satisfied with that either, but a look at the clock distracted him. 'You need to go - they'll be here in a minute. Not too far, we haven't established whether distance affects the magic part.'

'Okay,' Harry agreed, walking to a classroom a few doors down. He sat quietly in the darkness so as not to attract attention. Snape had assured him that there would be no one around, but you couldn't be too careful. Constant vigilance after all...

_Draco was still on his own. _

_There was a quiet knock and Blaise Zabini entered. Blaise was tall and good-looking, with wavy black hair worn long to below his ears. He would have been more popular with the females of the school were it not for the amused-mocking look he permanently wore. Harry suspected there was slightly more to the problem than that, he never saw Blaise with a crowd, and after all, Draco's superior air didn't put the girls off. But all he really knew about Zabini was that he took Arithmancy__with Hermione, and didn't fly. _

_Nott was the next in. He didn't fly either, but was normally at the matches. And he hung around Draco sometimes, so Harry knew him a little better. Nott was the opposite of Blaise, slender and wiry, with short mid-brown hair. He lacked Zabini's build or Draco's elegance, and watched the events around him with a curious impassiveness. He was the son of a Death Eater, and consistently turned up near the top of classes, without ever appearing to volunteer information during the class. Harry was not entirely sure he trusted Nott, but he trusted Draco, and that would have to suffice._

_Daphne Greengrass entered last. Harry supposed, in an detached way, she was quite pretty. She had very short dark hair, and a tiny pointed face which gave her a rather elfin look. If nothing else, she lacked the simpering coquetry which Pansy Parkinson employed to get Draco's attention, and that could be nothing but a plus. He knew little else about her personally, except that apparently she was the Goddaughter of Tonks' blacklisted pureblood mother. That was intriguing. _

_Harry paid little attention to the conversation. Draco was making small talk, gradually coming to his purpose. He could handle that part; all Harry had to do was help with the Legilimency. He sensed confusion, a little suspicion, but no particular hostility. When Draco mentioned the DA, he felt the sharp shock from Blaise and Daphne, but Nott seemed to think this had resolved a problem in his head. Draco elaborated further, now that it was clear that no one was going to lynch him. Harry was getting a headache – observing the thoughts of three people with very conflicted thoughts was painful. It _was_ interesting though, he could feel their thoughts being pulled in towards a decision. _

_Blaise stood up, pushing his hand through his hair. Harry could feel his thoughts rushing to catch up with the new information. Eventually he turned an amused look onto Draco, and gave his agreement._

_Daphne's thoughts were less confused, but there was an anger underpinning them which Harry couldn't pin down. It didn't appear to be focussed on the DA, or even Harry himself, but it was there. She was determined, however, and peered up at Draco through her hair, quietly giving assent_

_Theodore Nott was working through his thoughts carefully. Harry was confused by the slight sadness in his thoughts, as none was betrayed on his face. Nott weighed up the scenarios, and then, with no further worry, simply nodded at Draco._

_Draco was smiling. 'Good. Harry will be here in a few minutes. He'll be pleased.'_

'_Potter's coming here?' Blaise asked disbelievingly._

'_Blaise, you just agreed to be part of the Slytherin contingent in Potter's army. What exactly surprises or impresses you about the fact that he and I are speaking to each other?'_

'_The fact that I've watched the two of you circling each other, growling, for the past six years?'_

_Nott smirked into his hand, and Daphne laughed._

'_Point taken,' Draco conceded. 'But nevertheless, you knew what I was asking, you can't be that surprised. This is going to require a certain amount of...adaptability. We can't panic over every detail.'_

'_Can I panic over this one?' Daphne asked. 'How long have you and Potter been on speaking terms?'_

Harry had reached the door. He swung it open, shooting a brief smile at Draco, 'We're still not some days. But on and off, about eight months now, right?'

'Nine.' Draco amended.

'Hence: "about".'

'How long have you been using ambiguity to hide the fact you can't count, Potter?' Draco responded, smirking.

Harry grinned at the stunned silence from the rest of the room. 'Welcome to the DA.'

* * *

The Room of Requirement seemed to know that this was not an ordinary meeting. Lamplight cast flickering shadows and the furniture had assumed a positively gothic air.

The members of the DA stood in a nervous huddle at one side of the room, watching the door. It opened, and Harry entered, gazing at them strangely.

He looked over at Ron and Hermione, 'We're all set up. Is this everyone?' he asked, unnecessarily. Harry always knew exactly how many members he should have.

They nodded.

'Good.' He turned to the rest of the DA. 'This is our agreement. This is a potion sealed personally by Professor Snape, and anyone can check the seal if they want. One of the Slytherins agrees to submit to questioning under Veritaserum, to vouch for all of them. Is this satisfactory?'

There was no noisy assent, but then none was expected. This was détente, not peace.

Harry pointed his wand at the four corners of the room, undoing their wards temporarily. He reopened the door, beckoning the Slytherins in. Draco Malfoy entered first. There was an audible gasp, and a rustling as various hands reached down to wands. This quieted a little when it became apparent that Draco's hands were magically bound behind his back, and Harry held his wand.

Blaise Zabini, Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass followed after Draco. Blaise put a hand at Draco's elbow when he stumbled, the bonds around his hands preventing him from catching himself. The taller Slytherin's glare ensured any smirks died on the faces of the less charitable DA members.

Ron and Hermione separated themselves from the main body of the DA and stood with the Slytherins. Harry walked towards Draco, who met him in the middle of the room. He removed a vial of potion from his robes and held it to Draco's mouth. When the blond had swallowed half, Harry removed it, and quickly drank the rest himself. This provoked another gasp from the crowd, and a surprised look from Draco.

Harry gave an extremely un-Harry-like smirk. 'Fair's fair.'

Draco's bearing was almost exaggeratedly haughty, particularly noticeable in this position of vulnerability, but Ron was convinced he saw a smile creep at the edges of thin lips.

The two boys stood facing each other. Harry started, 'Do you have any intention to betray this group?'

'No,' he shot back. 'Do you?'

There was a hiss of indrawn breath from the people around him, but Harry answered calmly. 'No. Do you vouch for the loyalty of the people you brought with you?'

'Yes. Do you?'

'Yes. Do you vow do serve the light with all your abilities?'

'Yes. Do you?'

'Yes. One last question. You've seen inside my head.' Harry took a step closer to Draco, pointing his wand at him. 'Do you trust me?'

This was the signal. Both boys sighed quietly. Harry's dark hair melted into platinum blond, and green eyes turned grey. Draco's fair hair shortened and darkened, and the unmistakable lightening-bolt scar was drawn on his forehead.

The DA took in the scene. Harry was wandless, with his hands bound. His head was tilted back, with the tip of Draco's wand in the hollow of his neck. He still looked to be considering Draco's question. Raising voice so everyone could hear he answered simply, eyes focussed in Draco, 'With your wand at my throat.'

* * *

A/N: Reviews people, please? I like this chapter, it would be nice to know if you do too. 


	5. Chapter 5

Most of the DA had left Room of Requirement now. They didn't look particularly happy, but most of them seemed to believe now that Harry trusted Draco. That didn't mean that _they_ trusted him, but they had accepted it. Harry couldn't ask for much more. Now it was just him, Draco, Hermione and Ron.

Hermione was watching them speculatively. 'You shouldn't have been able to do that.'

'What?' Harry asked innocently.

'It wasn't Polyjuice. That wouldn't give enough control. Technically it's possible to transfigure yourself to look like someone else, but it takes a tremendous amount of power.'

'We used a binding potion,' Harry answered.

'Even so...Plus, it takes a lot of control. _You_ could do it maybe, but...'

'I couldn't,' Draco finished. He was still pale from the effort of holding the transformation so long.

'That wasn't what I...'

'You may be right. Harry did both anyway. Human transfiguration is not really my speciality.'

'That would be hexes,' Ron observed coolly.

Draco narrowed his eyes. 'Yes, it is.'

Hermione was ignoring them. 'You performed a transfiguration on Draco? That's not possible.

'It was more _through_ Draco,' Harry replied thoughtfully.

'That's not possible either!' she cried, with a slight edge of hysteria.

'Snape's working on it,' Harry reassured her.

Hermione took a deep breath and composed herself. 'Also, that wasn't Veritaserum,' she pointed out calmly.

'What do you mean?' Draco asked.

'Veritaserum puts you in a trance,' she clarified. 'I haven't seen it, obviously, but you aren't supposed to be able to ask questions when you've drank it.'

'She's right,' Harry answered, before Draco could spin a story. 'I have seen it. That wasn't it.'

'Snape sealed it though,' Ron said.

'Yeah. It _was_ a truth potion. Or at least, you can't lie when you're using it. But you have a little more control of what you're saying. We didn't want to risk saying something that's still a secret.' Harry replied.

Hermione smiled. 'Or spoiling your dramatics.'

'That too.' Draco smirked at her.

Hermione's eyes sparkled with indulgent amusement.

Ron looked between the two of them, a slight flush on his cheeks.

* * *

It was a three days since the last DA meeting, and they still hadn't agreed when the next one should be. Ron and Harry were engaged in furious debate about how to manage the house divide in the meetings, and Hermione and Draco were sitting slightly apart.

'We can't just leave it up to them!' Harry shouted. 'Letting things sort themselves out doesn't work – we've seen that.'

'We can't force it either.' Ron shot back. 'If we try...' he trailed off.

Draco had put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. They were talking quietly, intensely, to each other. 'You could talk to him about it,' Draco murmured.

'Would you two either participate or sod off?' Ron yelled.

Hermione wheeled round, shocked. 'I don't see what you expect us to do, Ron. Between you and Harry you are covering both sides. And whenever Draco or I venture an opinion, you shoot it down.'

'You could at least pretend to be listening,' Ron responded. 'Instead of...'

'Instead of what?'

'Instead of...Oh just forget it! You and Malfoy should just go finish your little chat somewhere more private.'

'And what is that supposed to mean?'

'Work it out!' Ron stormed out of the room, face flushed in anger or distress.

'Did he mean what I think he meant?' Draco asked in bewilderment.

Hermione looked furious. 'You mean did he just insinuate that I had a crush on you? Yes, I think that was it. The _nerve _of him!'

'Er...I think I should be insulted by that,' Draco protested mildly.

'It's not...oh, I can't believe that boy! Harry, do you mind if I go?'

'It's fine. Go to the library and calm down.'

'Thank you.' She left, still shaking her head.

'Well,' Draco began, 'that wasn't at all unexpected.

'If I didn't know you better, I'd think you planned that.' Harry said.

'Not at all,' Draco answered. 'But he's been looking for a reason to yell about me for a while now.'

'You know it has nothing to do with you exactly.'

'Of course. Weasley's distaste for Hermione's suitors isn't exactly unnoticed in the school. Even in Slytherin.'

Harry boggled for a moment. 'I thought it was just us.'

'Harry, Harry, Harry,' Draco sighed despairingly. 'One day you will understand that one of the defining traits of a Slytherin is having the ability to perceive what it right in front of you. A skill Gryffindors notably lack. I am almost tempted to point out to the two of them that if one of them would only make the first move...but then what would I watch for fun?'

'So you're not interested in Hermione, then?'

'Harry, what's this sudden fascination about? And no. Again, not my type.

'Again,' Harry answered mockingly, 'just curious. It would make things more difficult in the DA.'

'And we can't have that, can we?' Draco muttered. 'Go on then. Go and find Weasley. Talk him down from the ledge he is undoubtedly thinking about throwing himself off. You're all so dramatic.'

'That's what happens when other people are more than just something funny to watch,' Harry responded angrily. He leapt up, and strode towards the door.

'Harry...'

Draco's voice made Harry stop. He turned. 'Sorry. It's just...never mind. I need to find Ron.'

* * *

Ron, as it turned out, was not about to throw himself off a ledge. He was, however, furiously engaged in doing his Transfiguration homework, which in Ron's case was practically the same thing.

'Is everything okay?' Harry asked.

'It's fine,' Ron answered, sighing.

'Then what was that all about?'

'All what?'

'You and Hermione.'

Ron's rebuttal was too fast. 'Nothing!'

'It didn't look like nothing.'

'It's...if I tell you, you might freak.'

'I won't.'

'You don't know that.'

Harry sat down beside Ron on the sofa. 'What if I tell _you_ something?'

'Like what?'

'A secret. Something no one else knows. Then we'll be even.'

'A proper secret? Even from Hermione?'

'Yeah,' Harry answered. It was possible she suspected something was up, but probably not this...

Ron considered this for a moment. 'Okay. But you first.'

Harry sighed, 'How did I know you'd say that?'

'Because you know I'm not stupid?'

Harry laughed, then looked at Ron seriously, 'Okay, I need you not to overreact when I tell you this. No yelling, laughing or violence.'

'Have you hurt my sister, or turned to you-know-who?'

Harry bit back the comment about calling things by their names. 'No.'

'Then go on.'

'Okay.' He paused. 'This is harder than I thought it would be. Okay. Umm…Cho wasn't…wasn't my first crush.'

Ron regarded Harry in curiosity. 'Who then? Ginny? Parvati?' A sudden dread crept over his features. 'Hermione?'

Harry couldn't help the small laugh. 'Dunno if it's better or worse than that, but no.'

'Who then?'

'Oliver.'

There was silence. Then:

'Oliver, Oliver? Oliver that you played Quidditch with? That Oliver?'

'Yeah.'

'So you're…'

'Umm…bi is the term I guess. Unless you were looking for something more insulting.'

Ron, who had been studying his hands intently, looked up in shock. 'Harry, mate, no! Bloody hell. I was…surprised that's all. I was expecting…dunno what I was expecting. Mum maybe.'

It was Harry's turn for shock. 'No! I mean, I love your mum. But she's like…well…a mother to me.'

'That's okay then,' Ron answered in relief. 'So, Oliver? Should I be insulted that it wasn't me?'

'Ron…' Harry sputtered, and then looked up to see his best friend struggling to hold in his laughter. 'Prat,' he muttered affectionately, swatting at Ron with a cushion. 'Your turn anyway.'

'For what?' Ron asked innocently.

'Don't play dumb. Secret. Yours. Now.'

'Umm…'Ron blushed deep red. 'It's about Hermione. I kind of….you know…like her. _Like, _like her.'

'You should tell her,' Harry responded immediately.

'I will. Just not...not right now. Especially not right now. She's gonna be mad at me for a while.'

'Shouldn't have accused her of running off with Draco.'

'I didn't _mean_ to! It's just sort of…happened.' Ron looked at Harry, considering. 'Why aren't you surprised by any of this?'

'I already knew,' he answered simply.

'What?' Ron exclaimed. 'So why go to all the trouble…why all the…?'

Harry smiled softly, 'You looked like you needed to tell someone.'

* * *

When Hermione came into the common room and saw Harry and Ron laughing, she contemplated being angry. But Harry was smiling, still rare enough to be worth notice, and Ron looked across at her apologetically, so she walked over to them. They were her boys, and she couldn't look after them when they were fighting.

'Sorry about before,' were the first words out of Ron's mouth. Harry walked off discretely to give them some space.

'You should be,' she replied. 'But you're forgiven. We were just talking, you know that.'

'What about…? Sorry. It's your business.' Ron stammered.

'It is. Draco's a friend. _Just_ a friend. If you must know, we were talking about the Head Girl thing…you know I can't talk about it to you or Harry. But Draco understands, and he won't be hurt by it. _That's _why we were talking quietly.'

'Okay.' Ron nodded. 'Well I am sorry. He's not that bad I guess.'

'No, he's not. And he's Harry's friend.'

'I know that!' Ron replied indignantly. He suddenly went quiet, looking over at Harry. 'Give me a second.'

Ron walked over to Harry, and dragged him into a corner.

'Ron!' Harry protested. 'What is it?'

'It's Draco, isn't it?'

'What about him?'

'You like him.'

'Of course I like him.'

'Not what I meant.' Ron answered harshly. 'Like you liked Oliver, that's why you told me.'

'That's not it!' Harry's denials were unconvincing.

'Is he even…?'

'What?'

'Gay, bi, whatever.'

'Not sure,' Harry's answer was quiet, and aimed at his shoes.

Ron took a deep breath. 'Okay. So I should probably stop talking about him liking Hermione then.'

'He doesn't. I checked.'

'Why not?'

'Ron!' Harry cried in disbelief.

'I'm not complaining!' Ron replied. 'But it's strange.'

'I don't like her. Well, I do, but not like that.'

'Yeah, but you like Malfoy…You know who we need to talk to?'

'Not Hermione.'

'Why not? She's good at this.'

'You promised.'

'Yeah. So I won't tell her. But you should.'

'I will, just not right now,' Harry replied with Ron's words from earlier.

'Good. Because if you don't tell her soon, she's going to find out. And then she'll kill me for knowing first.'

'You do realize that the girl you want to go out with scares you?'

'Yep.'

'Just checking.'

* * *

A/N: Thanks to Enki, Moose on mars and wwwendy for reviews. So, what did you all think of this one? 


	6. Chapter 6

Ron walked into the first DA meeting after the grand initiation to find everybody but Draco on one side of the room. None of the other Slytherins were there yet, and neither was Harry, so Draco was on his own. The blond looked up and gave him a very cautious nod.

'The others not here yet? Ron asked, walking over. He gave a very deliberate look to the rest of the DA as he sat down beside Draco.

'Not yet,' Draco answered. 'We didn't want to all leave at once.'

Ron nodded agreement. 'Good idea.' He forced himself to make small talk. Harry liked Draco. And Ron had liked him fine in that small period between realising that he wasn't a Death Eater, and thinking that he wanted Hermione. Admittedly that hadn't been long enough to get to know him particularly well, but he knew that he liked Quidditch, and Harry. Normally that was good enough in Ron's books. Still, he was grateful when Harry arrived to stop the awkward conversation.

The other Slytherins arrived one by one, followed closely by Hermione, out of breath from running after whatever homework she had been unable to finish to her satisfaction in the half-hour Ron had allotted to his.

'Okay, that's everyone.' Harry whistled loudly. 'New rules. We're practicing one pair against another today. Anyone you like as your partner as long as they're from a different house.' There was a chorus of discontent. Harry whistled again. 'No arguing. We all agreed.'

'We didn't agree to...' a voice in the back protested.

'It was implied,' Harry cut in. 'Now, everyone pick a partner.' He turned behind him to Ron and Hermione, 'Not you two.'

The unrest was louder this time. 'Why do they not have to pick partners from another house?' Zacharias Smith asked resentfully.

Harry sighed. He answered quietly, but forcefully. 'Because some day soon Voldemort will get into the school grounds. When he does, I have to go for him. Which means Ron will be in charge of whichever DA members want to fight. And I want the cleverest witch in the school to be the one at his back. Any other questions?'

They shook their heads, or muttered no. Slowly the crowd dispersed, picking partners

Ron came up beside Harry. 'You're sure about that?'

'Yeah. I need Hermione to feed you spells and make sure no one gets near enough. You're going to be too busy giving orders.'

'I meant you're sure that I'm second-in-command?'

'You're first in command really. We're only going to need a command if Voldemort gets in. And then I have to be there. And yes, I'm sure.'

'Okay then.' Ron grinned. 'You and Draco against me and Hermione then?'

'In a minute. I just need to check that everyone's matched up.' Harry looked around. As he expected, most people had simply picked a friend from another house. But at least he was breaking up the house cliques a little. And Ginny, Luna and Neville had picked Blaise, Nott and Daphne. He smiled. It was nice to know that there were some people who would support him no matter what.

* * *

The next Saturday was the first Quidditch match of the year. This time the Gryffindor-Slytherin match was going ahead as planned, although outside the DA relations were as bad as ever. But Harry wasn't too concerned - the entire Gryffindor team had been in the DA from last year after all. They all knew how important it was that things didn't get out of hand.

This didn't seem to stop Seamus in the commentary however. 'And after that outrageous move by the Slytherin chaser, Gryffindor are behind by twenty. The referees really need to put a stop to that kind of...' Seamus was cut off.

Harry guessed it was McGonagall muting him before she was forced to put him in detention, but he didn't look around to check. He was hovering around the edges looking for the Snitch. Draco was presumably around somewhere too, but for once Harry wasn't watching for him. Lucius Malfoy wouldn't dare turn up today, so he didn't need to worry. It was nice to just have to deal with the Quidditch for once. Finally he spotted the faint glistening at the side of the far posts. Harry dived, relishing the single-minded concentration.

Just as he was about to reach the snitch, he heard screams. Even as his fingers curled around the ball he was turning, reaching for his wand. It was Draco of course. He was lying sprawled on the pitch. Professors were running towards him.

Harry tuned back in to Seamus's commentary when he landed. 'The Slytherin seeker took a bludger to the shoulder, but it looks as if he'll be fine. He lost a bit of control there landing, but he's getting up, so everything looks okay. In other news, Harry caught the snitch so we...sorry, Gryffindor, win!

The Gryffindor end of the crowd were cheering uproariously and Harry was hoisted onto shoulders. He took the opportunity to look over the Professors' heads and check Draco. He seemed okay but dazed, so was probably being taken to the hospital wing.

The team went to get changed, and Harry followed them. He let the dressing-room chatter wash over him, still charged with the adrenaline of the match and then the concern over Draco. So it wasn't until the rest of the team had left for the victory party that he noticed Ron had been silent.

Harry expected that Ron would be pleased at the win, or perhaps vaguely concerned that Draco was hurt. Instead, his friend was pacing the otherwise empty dressing room furiously.

'What's wrong?' Harry asked in concern.

'Did you see what happened!'

'Gryffindor won? Draco managed not to get himself killed?'

'It wasn't an accident.'

'What?'

As soon as Harry was changed Ron walked him out of the dressing room to meet Hermione. She smiled, and then frowned. 'Is something wrong?'

'Ron thinks Draco getting hit wasn't an accident.'

'I'm _captain_, Harry. It's my _job_ to watch what everyone else is doing. Jack waited until you dived, until Draco was diving after you, and no one was looking. He wasn't hitting it away, he wasn't even aiming at Draco's arm. He was aiming at the head, Harry. He _missed._ I saw the look on his face when it hit. That wasn't the Gryffindor beater playing rough with the Slytherin Seeker. That was one member of the DA trying to take out another.'

Ron was flushed deep red and Harry and Hermione had paled.

Harry started for the castle. 'Where is he?'

'He was gone by the time I got in. I'll get him. You two check on Malfoy.' With that, he strode off.

'That was odd,' Hermione commented.

'What?'

'Ron. I didn't think he cared so much about what happened to Draco.'

'Maybe it's different when it's his team doing it,' Harry answered distractedly. 'Are you coming?'

'Of course!' she answered, although she still sounded perplexed.

* * *

Draco was sitting up in the hospital bed, looking bored. He scowled at Harry and Hermione when they entered. 'There are days, Potter, when I really don't like you.'

'The days Gryffindor wins?' Harry quipped.

'Not _just_ those days. You didn't win at any rate. I was concussed.'

'Wonders of Quidditch. That doesn't matter. I caught the snitch.'

'Cheat,' Draco threw back.

'It wasn't me! Are you okay?'

'Perfectly fine. You can't be a good seeker if you're not prepared to be hit by a rogue bludger occasionally.'

Harry grinned at the opportunity. 'So again, I ask…'

'I hate you,' Draco muttered tolerantly.

Ron stalked in, dragging Jack Sloper behind him. Ron pushed the Gryffindor beater to the end of Draco's bed.

'Ron, I swear I didn't…' the younger boy protested.

The other three watched the exchange in confusion.

'I was watching you!' Ron exclaimed. 'You're a member of the DA. We do _not_ attack each other.'

The boy considered protesting again, but instead stepped towards Ron and whispered, 'How can you trust him?'

'Because I do. And frankly I don't care whether you do or not. But let me make this absolutely clear.' He leant in, looming over Jack. This wasn't the typical Weasley temper – that, they were used to by now, and could ignore. This was a calm, cold rage, and all the more frightening for being unseen before. Ron didn't raise his voice, but spoke quietly and threateningly, 'If you pull anything like this again, I _will_ let Harry kill you. Not even that – I'll just stand there and _watch_. Now get out of here.'

The boy nodded quickly, and then ran out of the door.

'Well…that was more than a little unnerving,' Draco observed.

'You okay?' Ron asked.

'I'm fine. Don't feel obliged to make death threats on _my_ behalf…' Draco smiled slightly.

Ron went to the head of the bed, peering at the bandage around Draco's head in concern. 'Yeah, well.'

From the shadows at the doorway, Snape's voice came, 'Ten points, Mr. Weasley.'

'To or from?' he asked.

'Let's keep that a mystery.'

'Not the only one,' Draco murmured.

'I should report that to the Headmaster,' Snape pointed out dispassionately. 'You know that, Mr. Weasley.'

'Yes. But you won't.' Ron froze, lulled into being this casual with Snape of all people.

Snape seemed unconcerned. 'No. Although I must admit that it is slightly disconcerting that putting the fear of Potter in someone is more effective than the fear of the Headmaster.' He walked up to Draco. 'Is the potion working? You feel no further pain?'

'No.' he answered. 'My head's still a little fuzzy, but no pain.'

Snape frowned a little at that in professional concern. 'Perhaps I should refine the ingredients.' He returned to the doorway, presumably to go back the dungeons and analyze the potion. 'Go back to your dormitories soon. Be careful of that temper, Mr. Weasley.'

Ron nodded at Snape as he left, then turned back to the bed. 'Good game.'

'Until my near decapitation anyway,' Draco answered.

'Oh give over…' Ron responded, grinning for the first time since the end of the match.

Hermione took Harry's arm and steered him to one side. 'What just happened?'

'What?' Harry asked, pretending ignorance.

'Ron just defended Draco.'

'Yeah.'

'Why?'

'I pointed out that you weren't interested in Draco so he should stop being jealous. That you were only interested in a particular red-head, hot-tempered idiot or not.'

'Harry!' she shrieked. Lowering her voice to a whisper again, she continued, 'Ron and I are friends. _Just_ friends. Like Draco and I.'

Harry just smiled.

As Hermione continued to protest, Ron trailed off in his conversation with Draco. The blond was watching Harry and Hermione intently.

Ron leant in to whisper in Draco's ear, 'If you hurt him, _I _will hurt you.'

'I thought you trusted me not to be a Death Eater.' Draco pointed out in quiet indignation.

'I do.' Ron smiled lopsidedly. 'That's not what I'm worried about.'

* * *

A/N: I do love Ron more and more….

Thanks to HecateDeMort for reviewing so frequently, and Cithara and Love Alchemist for lovely longer reviews. I love the end of Chapter 4 too, it was written before almost anything else of the story!


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: This is unbetaed because otherwise I won't get this up in time. So I hope there's no horrible mistakes! Reviews would be nice...

* * *

'Susan?' Harry asked enquiringly, looking around the tiny study they shared. It wasn't as if there was anywhere for her to hide, but in the four official meetings they'd had so far, she'd never been late. He sat down and began to look through the prefect reports.

The door opened. 'Harry, I'm sorry I'm late.' Susan smiled weakly at him.

'It's fine. I was just going through these.' Harry waved the reports at her. 'Do you want to do them first, or the rota for the next fortnight?'

'Whichever you want,' she said.

'Umm...okay then. The rotas I suppose. They can't really wait. I was wondering if maybe we should change the pairs? Try and mix up the houses a little more?' he offered cautiously. Harry knew that some people thought he was taking this a little far, but Susan was normally a strong supporter.

'Okay.'

'Are you sure?' he asked in surprise. 'It's a big thing if we do it. People are going to sulk.'

'It's fine.

'Susan...are you okay?'

She was chewing at the end of her long plait, eyes on the desk. 'I'm fine.'

'Really? I can do this myself if you're not feeling well.'

'I'm fine!' she practically shouted. 'I just need to focus on this.'

'Okay.' Harry nodded quickly. 'So I was thinking that if we move...' He stopped. Susan was crying quietly, hands shielding her eyes to try and stop Harry seeing. 'Susan. If you need to...' He didn't know what to say. Seven years with Hermione had taught him that sometimes girls did things which were incomprehensible to the watching male. She hadn't, unfortunately, told him what to do when this happened. Although Ron _had_ learnt, quickly and violently, not to imply it was "that time".

'I'm sorry.' Susan rubbed at her eyes. 'It's been a bad day.'

'Is there anything..?'

'You know my aunt?'

'The Minister of Magic? Yeah, I know who she is,' Harry responded, smiling.

Susan didn't smile back. 'There was an attack today.'

'In the ministry? I didn't hear anything,' Harry replied, shocked.

'It wasn't in the ministry. So they could hush it up.' Her voice cracked. 'I shouldn't tell you really.'

'I won't tell anyone.'

'She was visiting my mum at home. No one was...well, everyone's fine. They don't even know what it was. There was an explosion. They keep saying how lucky they both were.'

'I'm sorry, I didn't know.'

'I know you didn't.' She looked up at him and smiled properly this time. 'And I'm just being silly. No one got hurt really. They were both in St Mungo's, but it was just cuts. Mum's scared though.'

'Well, anyone would be,' Harry pointed out, reasonably.

'It's not just the attack. It's Uncle Edgar as well. You know they were all...they all died the first time. Because he was an Auror. And Aunt Amelia was attacked because she's the Minister. Mum's got it into her head that I'm more likely to get hurt because of this. The Head Girl thing. Suppose I should probably tell her that the DA's more likely to cause the trouble...'

'Susan, I'm not...I mean, you can leave if you want. I'd like it if you didn't, because you're a good witch, and you keep everyone else calm, but if your mum's worried...'

'And there's no one that would be worried about anyone else in the DA? About you?'

'I've no parents to be worried.'

'Your muggle relatives...?'

Harry smiled wryly, 'Not as worried as you'd think.'

Susan shook her head. 'There's lots of people that would worry about you. And you're right anyway.' She pulled herself together. 'I am a good witch. And if Hogwarts is attacked I should help. Plus, the Head Girl is supposed to lead by example, isn't she?'

Harry grinned back at her. 'I think we both are. Although the leading we need to do now is probably doing our work on time...' He nodded at the prefect rota.

Susan laughed and wiped the remaining tears away. 'Probably right.' She bent over the pages and the two began the laborious task of rearranging the schedules.

* * *

When Harry opened Snape's door for Occlumency he was again forced to look around the room for someone who clearly wasn't there. 'Where's Malfoy?'

Snape looked up from his papers. 'Mr. Malfoy saw me earlier. I wanted to see the two of you separately this evening. It's been rather a while since I was able to test you individually.'

'Any particular reason you wanted to do this now? I thought we'd been getting better?'

'Both of you have become...remarkably proficient in a short space of time. What concerns me is the possibility that it is because of each other.'

Harry's eyes widened. 'What do you mean?'

'Don't look so alarmed. All I meant was that your magics appear to be feeding off one another. Aside from the fact that this should be impossible, I need to establish what your limit is separately from Draco. There may come a time when you are unable to aid each other, and I need to be certain that you can protect yourselves alone.'

'Could Draco?'

'His Legilimency suffers when you are not beside him. More so than I would have guessed. It appears you may have been helping each other even before you realised it.'

'I don't understand. I thought you wanted us to look out for each other.'

'We do. My problem is that I also need to be certain that in a...situation, you will not reach for each other's magic first.'

'In case one of us is dead.' Harry finished lifelessly.

'Perhaps,' Snape responded, without breaking stride, 'or perhaps simply incapacitated, or unable to offer help because you have your own problems. There are multiple reasons why one of you may be unable to offer the other assistance, one of which is death, and there is no need to be melodramatic about it. It is a possibility. It has always been a possibility for both of you, and not one which is increased by your acquaintance. It may, however, be increased by dependence on the other's magic. So we shall work to correct this, is that understood?'

'Yes, Professor,' Harry responded only slightly chastened.

'Good. Legilimens!'

_Harry shielded his mind easily. Snape probed for gaps in Harry's defences. Harry tried to place a gloss over his thoughts, so that Snape's attacks would slide past without having to throw his Professor out. In shock he discovered that this was not simple. Every few seconds, Snape found another weaker spot, and tried to force his way past. Finally Harry resorted to the alternative approach, and simply flung Snape out of his head with as much force as possible._

When he opened his eyes, Snape was rubbing his head gingerly. 'Sorry,' Harry offered.

'You definitely have a problem with control, Mr Potter,' Snape responded.

'I think I overreacted a bit.'

The older man looked incredulous. '"A bit"?'

'You might have been right.'

'Undoubtedly, but about what in this particular instance?'

'I was looking for Draco's help. I didn't notice until I needed some more control. I might not have noticed even then if I hadn't made sure beforehand that I was cut off from him.'

'In your case, this may be less of a problem. Loathe as I am to admit it, your approach lacks finesse, but it does work.'

'Draco needs the control though.'

'Draco has it. It's the power he's missing.'

'So what do we need to do?'

Snape barely heard the question. He muttered to himself, 'It's not even something that can be taught.'

'Sorry, Professor, but what isn't?'

'Power. I can't see any way of Draco increasing his much more than it is. He's already far above what his age should allow. But he isn't going to be as accomplished as you are.' At Harry's confused look he added, 'Harry, you are perfectly aware of the fact that you are the strongest wizard in your year.'

Harry paused in the act of taking a breath and choked. When he had recovered, he focussed watery eyes on Snape and stammered, 'What?'

'Don't act so shocked. Every other student and Professor is aware of it.'

'Hermione? Draco? Lots of people are better than me.'

'You are also a _better _wizard than you think you are, but that's not what I said. You are the _strongest_ wizard in the year. Ms Granger knows a great many spells, but you can perform them with greater ease than she. Mr Malfoy has more refinement with Occlumency, but you can repel me faster than he can.'

'Why?'

'I wish I knew. Some of it is simple talent, no doubt. Your mother...and your father... were extremely gifted. But there are many students in Hogwarts who are the sons and daughters of talented wizards. And an equal number I suppose who come from a family of no magic at all. Genetics can only tell us so much. Persistence may well be another factor. Beyond that...well perhaps you can tell me?'

'How should I know! I didn't know I had any magic until I was eleven. But I'm not the only person who did that.'

'Indeed not.'

'And I'm not the only person who did magic accidentally when they were growing up. You should be able to tell more than I can. When I got here I was just like everyone else!'

Snape laughed wryly, 'Mr Potter, you were _never _like everyone else. Perhaps that's the reason. A self-fulfilling prophecy.' He looked thoughtful. 'Or maybe the _knowledge_ of a different prophecy...'

Harry's face closed off. Dully he asked, 'You think I've suddenly gotten better since fifth year?'

'More focussed certainly.'

'That doesn't make me stronger.'

'I wouldn't be so sure.'

There was a long silence. In an attempt to change the subject Harry questioned, 'Did you know the Minister was attacked?'

Snape allowed the topic change. 'Amelia Bones? Yes. Ms Bones informed you?'

'Yeah. Her mum's upset. Not about that. Though I suppose she probably is about that too. But about Susan. She thinks Voldemort's going to take the Head Girl and Boy out first.'

'Indeed? She credits him with a much more discriminatory eye than anyone else. The rest of the parents think that simple association with you will be enough. They seem to be balancing out the danger of being in the same place as Harry Potter alongside the safety of having Albus Dumbledore.'

'And at the moment Professor Dumbledore's winning?'

'So it seems.'

'Susan mentioned the DA. Do you think...do you think I'm making it more dangerous for them?'

'Perhaps.' Snape answered unhelpfully.

Harry was stricken. 'So I should stop?'

'No.' Snape looked at him, not unkindly. 'I refuse to lie to you to make this less difficult. You have numerous other adults who are happy to coddle you. But you should accept that the people you have with you do not need protection either. They have chosen to fight alongside you, and you are helping them do so. Yes, they may be in more danger if he brings the fight here, because they will step forward to protect the other students. But they make the choice, don't make it for them.'

'If I went somewhere else...'

'He would kill everyone here, one by one, until you came back to stop him.'

A shiver ran down Harry's spine. 'So I should just...'

'Pay attention in class. Pay attention here. Let those who wish to fight do so. Anyone who chooses to fight risks death. Amelia Bones knows that, so does her niece. So does Draco.'

Harry managed a wan smile. 'I'm not sure if that was meant to be a pep-talk or a dire warning.'

'Why don't you go and ponder it then? It's late, and we both have classes in the morning. I expect a three foot essay on Blood-Replenishing Potion.'

'I know.' Harry went to the door. Standing in the frame, he turned back. 'Thanks. I think.'

'You're welcome.'


	8. Chapter 8

A/N 1: Okay, the next few chapters are gonna be pretty shippy. Both H/D and R/Hr. So you're warned! If you _really_ don't want to see it, skip until Chapter 10. But I'd rather you didn't...

* * *

It was three days before Christmas and Hogwarts was eerily silent. All the parents who could take their children home seemed to have chosen to do so. There were perhaps twelve students left, and most of the Professors too seemed to have left to visit loved ones. Harry was staying of course. Ron and Ginny had presented their staying as a fait accompli, but Harry suspected that both had pleaded to their mother that Harry needed company. Hermione disregarded the pretence and flatly told him that he would not be alone at Christmas. Draco was staying as well, but would not be pressed as to why.

So tonight it was just Harry and Hermione in the common room, the two Weasleys having vanished to shoot goals in the dark. Ron was already getting ready for the February match-up with Hufflepuff, and always relished the opportunity to get a little extra practice in. Ginny assured him that if you cast a spell to illuminate the Quaffle, it was no harder than playing in the daytime.

Harry was peaceably reading (or rather re-reading) 'Quidditch through the Ages' when an owl flew down the stairs. Something dropped onto his lap, and the owl flew back up the staircase for the window without waiting for a response. The something was a piece of parchment wrapped around something small and heavy. Harry opened the page curiously.

_Meeting tonight. Don't help (or look) unless I ask._

_PS. Look after this for me. I can't risk carrying it around._

He wrapped his fingers tightly around Draco's DA galleon. Harry's own was on a chain around his neck, it was easier than risking spending it by carrying it in his pocket. Silently he drew out his wand and whispered a charm at Draco's coin. The galleon sizzled as a hole was burnt into it. He threaded it carefully onto his own chain, and tucked both coins carefully under his robes again. He placed a hand over them both against his chest.

Hermione looked up from her own book. 'Is everything okay?'

Harry nodded. 'Hope so.' He passed her the note.

'Draco?'

'Yes. I think it's the first time Voldemort's been able to call them. The ones still at Hogwarts.'

'Well that makes sense,' she noted. 'Otherwise people would wonder where they were all disappearing to at night. Why do you think he doesn't want you to help?'

'Snape thinks we're relying on each other's magic. Draco probably wants to prove he doesn't need mine.'

'And what do you think?'

Harry knew she was trying to help, but he didn't want Hermione's best therapist voice right now. 'Dunno.'

'Harry!' Oddly, her exasperation was more reassuring.

'I _really_ don't know. We do use each other's magic sometimes. I don't even think about it. I just try to help. But I'm not worried about it.'

'Why not? Something could happen to Draco and you wouldn't be able to protect yourself.'

'Why is no one ever worried that I'm going to die and _Draco _won't be able to protect himself? Because if I get the choice I'm picking that one.'

'Harry...'

'No! It's stupid. He won't let me help because he needs to be able to help himself, and not pull me into trouble. But when I say I want to do something on my own so no one else gets hurt I'm not allowed?'

'Harry, listen to yourself a minute. You're not making sense. I said that you need to be able to do the spells independently. I'm not telling you to rely on Draco.'

'But you still think I shouldn't try and do things on my own.'

'That's true. But it's not the argument we're having right now,' she said calmly. 'You can't argue that Draco should let you help, while arguing that _you_ need to do things on your own. And before you say anything else he's not a spy because of you. He's a spy because of who his family is. It's stupid and unfair, but it's not your fault.'

'I'm saying that other people won't let me do things on my own, but they're willing to let him do it. Like I'm worth more than him. Like it wouldn't matter so much if he got himself killed.'

Hermione scrutinised Harry carefully. 'A few people probably do see it that way, yes. They don't know him as well as you.'

Harry whispered, 'I don't want him to get hurt.'

'I know that. Neither do I.'

'It's not the same.'

'I know that. I'm not in love with him.'

She said the last part so casually that Harry had answered, 'No.' before he noticed what she had said. When he did, he looked at her wide-eyed.

'What?' she asked innocently.

'Did Ron...?'

'No, he didn't. You told Ron!'

'I needed a bargaining chip. How did you...?'

'Last year. When you made up after your fight.' She shrugged. 'I could just tell.'

'I didn't like him then!' Harry protested.

'You didn't know you liked him,' she corrected confidently. 'So when did you know?'

'The train here this term.'

'In other words when you saw him again and realised he'd grown a foot and was finally as good-looking as he was always promising to be? Boys are all the same,' she teased affectionately.

'You think he's good-looking?' Harry asked in astonishment.

'Harry, let me tell you a secret. Among the girls of this school, Draco Malfoy is probably joint top of the handsome men. You're the other one of course.'

Harry blushed deeply and Hermione grinned. He glared at her. 'Did you just want to see me do that?'

She smiled. 'That was funny, but it's still true. You're going to disappoint hundreds of girls when you start dating each other.'

'Hermione, we're not...I don't even know if he's...not you though, right?'

'Harry,' she sighed, 'as you have apparently noticed, I like another equally oblivious guy. And Draco does like you. He's less obvious than you, but it's there. You should tell him.'

'Can I not just wait for him to figure it out?' Harry asked unenthusiastically.

'If you wait, you'll be waiting for ages. I have experience in that area.'

Harry smiled at her in commiseration. 'He'll tell you. You know Ron - some things take him a little while.'

Hermione was going to reply when a house-elf popped out of thin air. 'Harry Potter!' Dobby exclaimed. 'Professor Snape is wanting you to go to his study now. Dobby is telling him that it is very late, but he is very insistent!'

'Draco,' Harry murmured anxiously.

'I'm sure he's okay,' Hermione said. 'But go on.'

Harry left at a run.

* * *

Snape met him at the door. 'He's alive, don't look so apprehensive. I need to fetch some potions from my private store. Go and sit with him.'

'He needs potions?'

'Why do you think he's staying at Hogwarts over Christmas? With his father officially "missing" he can't buy the potions they should have. And _luckily_ I offered to deal with anything that happened to Draco here. Now I need to go and get supplies so I can do that. Go and sit down. Don't let anyone in.'

Harry nodded reflexively, but said nothing more as he slipped past to see Draco. He didn't hear Snape close the door.

Draco was shivering. Harry moved further into the room and took a closer look. Not shivering. Shaking. After-effects of Cruciatus. The familiar tug of anger came.

'What did you do?' Draco met his eyes, and at the glazed look Harry reined his anger in. It was misdirected anyway.

'Didn't bow fast enough,' Draco answered.

Harry paused a few steps from the sofa.

Draco smiled in humorless resignation. 'Yes, do stay over there. Can't have Saint Potter infected by the nasty Death Eater.'

'You're not a Death Eater,' Harry answered reflexively. He came to sit at Draco's side.

'I don't want your pity, Potter.' Draco spat, leaning back from Harry.

'It's not pity. You're _not_ a Death Eater.'

'You wouldn't be saying that if you had seen me tonight. "Yes, my Lord" and "No, my Lord" in all the right places. Crawling in the mud like an insect. You wouldn't have been able to pick me apart from my father. It seems they're right after all. _Blood will out_.'

It was Harry's turn to shiver. Draco's appearance was at odds with itself. Offended pride matched with revulsion at what he had done, and the pain of the curse. All the while he rubbed a hand compulsively at the mark hidden behind his robes.

'I could tell you apart from the rest even in robes and masks. I recognized your back.' Harry pointed out in a reassuring whisper. 'And if you play the role so well how'd you end up getting the Cruciatus?'

'I told you,' Draco answered. 'I wasn't quick enough. None of them are. And if they were, he would just change the rules so they weren't. He makes it up. What you need to do to please him. No one can keep up. Maybe that's why my father follows him...they share that …' Draco blinked away the tears of pain and humiliation that dared to form in the corners of his eyes.

Barely thinking about it, Harry leant towards Draco. He reached up, and kissed the taller boy gently.

As they broke off, Draco glared at Harry. 'I told you I didn't want your pity.'

'I'm not offering pity.' Harry kissed him again, deeper this time. 'Not forgiveness or penitence or punishment either. Gonna have to go and find someone else if that's what you want.' He pulled Draco towards him, and whispered fiercely against his lips. 'I just want you.' He pulled down one shoulder of Draco's robes, reaching inside until his hand was gripping Draco's upper arm. Harry's thumb traced the tattoo reverently as he kissed Draco again.

Draco initiated the kiss this time, one gently to Harry's forehead, in a mirror gesture. Then to his lips. 'Well then I supposed that you're lucky that makes two of us.'

Harry felt Draco smirk. 'What?'

'What would you have done if I had said no again?'

'Tried for third time lucky.'

* * *

A/N 2: Thanks to Cithara, HecateDeMort, angel of chaos, Serpent of Light, Love Alchemist for lovely reviews. And to Geraldine/Helen hugs - many, many thanks for the e-mails!


	9. Chapter 9

A/N1: Fluff! Just enjoy it while you can, if you knew what happens in the chapter I've just finalised you'd understand why the fluff's there...

* * *

Harry's hand hovered consideringly over the black knight. Christmas day had been fun and, in the time honoured tradition, they were playing chess to avoid ending the day so early. Ron and Harry, in new Weasley jumpers, were at the chess board. Hermione seemed to have been given nothing but books and had stacked them up around her on the sofa. The fact that she could barely lift her new Runes book didn't seem to dissuade her from burying her head in it to the exclusion of all else.

Ginny yawned. 'I'm going to bed, okay?'

'It's only...'Ron protested, looking at the clock, 'one o'clock...Okay, you should probably sleep.'

She nodded sleepily. 'Quidditch tomorrow morning. Whether you're awake or not!'

'I'm a year older than you! We need less sleep.'

'Fine, Ron. But remember the girls are allowed into your dorms. I'll come in and toss water over you if you don't wake up.'

Ron glared at his little sister. 'You wouldn't dare!'

'Wouldn't I?' she asked airily. Ginny turned on her heel and vanished up the stairs.

'Is it just me, or was I a lot more scared of Fred and George than she is of me?' Ron inquired in bemusement.

'You never turned her toys into spiders,' Hermione pointed out distractedly. 'You're more worried about her boyfriends hurting her than pulling pranks on her. I think she may be on to you.'

Ron grumbled to himself as he turned back to the board. Harry still hadn't made a move. 'Harry! Either move the knight or pick something else, mate.'

'I know,' he answered in defeat. 'I just don't know what else. The pieces are insulting me again.'

'They're not saying anything,' Ron observed reasonably.

Harry looked glum. 'They don't need to.'

True enough, Harry's pieces were conveying their contempt perfectly adequately just through their expressions. Ron looked torn between sympathy and the knowledge that this was still one thing he would always beat Harry at. He decided on a noncommittal nod.

Harry lifted his hand towards the knight again, but instead levitated the bishop across the board.

Ron was confused. Harry's strategy was mostly an ad hoc kind of defence of his king, with occasional forays towards Ron's pieces, mostly ending in massacre. Moving the bishop didn't take or defend any pieces, so was a bizarre move for Harry to make. When he looked up at the other boy, he was grinning in a slightly confused manner himself. Ron shrugged and moved his own knight.

Half an hour later, Hermione came to stand beside Ron. 'Are you two not finished with that yet?'

'We should be.' Ron grimaced. 'Normally he's done twenty moves back from this.'

Harry gave him the same puzzled smile.

Hermione watched them both for a few minutes. Neither boy seemed to pause much between moves, which was unusual in itself. And Harry's surety was completely unknown. When she looked at Ron, he was smiling confidently.

'Checkmate.' He declared, grinning wildly when Harry conceded defeat. 'One other thing. Tell Draco to come up and play me for real. I want to see who'd win if he didn't have to start from where you left it.'

Hermione looked at Harry. 'What did you do?'

'Nothing!' Harry protested, before laughing helplessly. 'Sorry, Ron. I didn't ask, but apparently I'm so bad that he had to step in.'

Ron was still smiling. 'Best game I've had in ages. Seriously, Harry, tell him to come up. Bet there's no one awake in Slytherin anyway. There's just a couple of first-formers, right?'

'Wait a minute,' Hermione interjected. 'I thought you said you couldn't share magic so far apart?'

'Umm...' Harry prevaricated. 'We don't know. We haven't really tested it. So far all we've worked out is that line-of-sight spells are easier.'

'Legilimency uses line-of-sight,' Hermione said. 'So that makes sense. But I can't believe the two of you! This shouldn't even be possible, and you're not testing it! I know you can't see him very often, but you have met up a few times over the holiday. Why haven't you been practicing?'

Harry turned away so neither of his friends would see his blush. He glared pointedly into one corner of the common room. 'Well?' he asked the air. 'Do you want to come up?'

There was a pause. Harry tilted his head to one side. 'What?... Oh. Okay, I'll meet you by the statue of Cliodne... Hmm?... She's the one with the birds... Okay, I'll see you in a minute.'

When Harry turned back, both Hermione and Ron were giving him odd looks. 'That's just weird,' Ron observed after a moment.

Harry nodded amiably at them, ran to get his Invisibility cloak, and then out the portrait-hole.

* * *

By the time Harry and Draco had reached the Gryffindor common room Harry had become rather giggly. Most of this was explicable by the fact that they were two nearly-grown teenagers trying to crush under one invisibility cloak. Harry elbowed Draco firmly out of the way when they reached the sofa, still only half-visible under the cloak. He pulled the cloak off, and sprawled over the seat.

Draco was looking around curiously. 'So this is where the Gryffindors hide.'

'Nicer than yours,' Ron pointed out.

'And how would you know?' Draco challenged. When Ron blushed, and Harry fell into another fit of laughter, the blond turned to Hermione incredulously. 'Are they drunk?'

Hermione smiled at the two of them in affectionate resignation. 'No. I think it might be Christmas spirit. Or maybe it's just late.'

'And they regress into infants at midnight?'

'Hey!' Harry protested, flailing an arm at Draco ineffectually.

Draco grabbed the offending appendage. 'I was nearly killed less than a month ago you know. You could be a little less violent. Or give me the chair.'

'There's plenty of chairs,' Harry responded. Then he laughed again, and pulled Draco down onto the chair with him.

When a soft flush worked its way up Draco's face, Hermione looked at the two of them consideringly. Seemingly without anything particularly dramatic happening she squeaked and placed her hands over her mouth.

'What is it?' Ron asked.

'Nothing,' she answered quickly.

'That sounded like a "something" noise,' Ron pointed out, but didn't press. 'So, Draco. You want a game?'

He nodded. 'It would be good. I've been bored stiff this holiday. As you might have guessed…'

'You took over one of Harry's games, you must have been bored!' Ron grinned.

'Hey!' Harry protested again, but it was obvious to everyone that he had no intention of moving from the sofa to enforce his threats.

Ron moved the chess-board to a table between two sofas. He and Hermione sat on one side, with Harry and Draco on the other. He and Draco became embroiled in complex tactical decisions while beside them Harry and Hermione read quietly.

Harry looked up to find Hermione watching him. 'Hmm?'

She crept over to his chair and whispered in his ear, 'Are you and Draco…you know?'

'Umm…' he tried. Swiveling around so he was just talking to her, he spoke quietly. 'We're something.'

'What does that mean?'

'We kissed?'

There was a silence. Hermione and Harry looked round to see that Ron and Draco had apparently reached a lull in the game. Harry looked at Ron in concern.

Ron looked at Draco, 'I hope for your sake it's you he's talking about, mate.'

Draco gave one of his half-smiles. 'Me too.'

Hermione smiled in relief. She went back to sit with Ron and watched Harry ever so slightly lean back against Draco. Ron and Draco went back to the game, but Harry kept half his attention on Hermione. Later on he would swear that he saw the exact moment she decided to act.

Her expression turned determined, although not a little nervous. She walked into the middle of the common room, and looked over at Ron. 'Come here a minute, would you Ron?'

He threw Draco an apologetic look, and walked to meet her. She looked up, and he followed. Mistletoe.

She leant towards him and kissed him quickly and sweetly. 'Will you go with me to Hogsmeade on the next weekend?'

Harry silently willed Ron to get this right.

Ron bent down a little and met her eyes. 'I'd love to.'

'Good,' she answered, a little high pitched. 'Okay then…that's…I'm going to go to bed now, okay?'

'Okay,' Ron answered. He caught her before the entrance to the staircase and gently kissed her goodnight. All three boys heard her soft squeak and flustered canter upstairs.

Ron was looking remarkably pleased with himself when he returned to the table. 'Checkmate,' he fired at Draco.

'Are you pleased because of the chess or because Hermione kissed you?' Draco wondered.

'I can be pleased at both,' Ron said, still grinning from ear-to-ear. He walked towards the staircase. 'I'm going to bed now. The day's not going to get any better, and I don't want anything to make it worse.' He paused and Draco and Harry heard him mutter, 'Bloody hell,' before going up.

The two remaining boys sat in a comfortable silence before Draco reluctantly moved. 'Perhaps I should go. It's probably not advisable for me to fall asleep in the Gryffindor common room.'

'Probably not,' Harry agreed. He was walking Draco to the door but paused under the mistletoe with an odd smile.

'What are you smirking about,' Draco asked.

'I was thinking about Luna.'

'Excuse me?' Draco exclaimed. 'You're standing under mistletoe with your…'

'You can say boyfriend.'

'Must I? It's so…ordinary. Juvenile.'

'Partner?'

'Boyfriend it is then. Anyway, you're standing under mistletoe with me, thinking about Luna Lovegood?'

'She caught me under it a few years back,' Harry remembered. 'This was back when she scared me, so I jumped three foot backwards. She tells me that's very sensible, or something like that, because "nargles" like to live in it.'

'Oh she's clearly cracked,' Draco replied nonchalantly. 'No doubt about it. Wasn't there a rumor that you were dating her last year?'

'Well I kissed her,' Harry answered offhandedly.

Draco was taken aback. 'That _could_ explain things!'

'It was a friendly kiss.'

'You kiss all your friends?'

'A few.'

'So when you kiss me, what's that?' Draco challenged.

Harry put his hands on Draco's shoulders to pull him down. 'You tell me.' He kissed Draco firmly.

'If that was a friendly kiss I may finally understand why you have so many friends.'

* * *

A/N 2: Cliodne (the statue) is one of the witches on the Chocolate Frog cards. She's an Irish druidess with three magical birds. Just so you know. The Lexicon has more for anyone who's very enthusiastic. Reviews?

Thanks to crystal, HecateDeMort, Cithara and Fayet for their reviews. angel of chaos: It was a 'finally' for me too. That kiss has been written for months! I was so glad when I could finally write it properly...


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Last chapter of fluff guys and gals (OT: are there even any guys?) Anyhow, I know I'm updating fast, but JKR has set me a deadline. And I know its slightly perverse to want the book to take longer to come out, but there ya go. I've spent the past what, two years, begging it to be faster, so naturallyin the closing stages my writing slows up and I need longer. I'm a crazy person...Okay, I'm done - enjoy!

* * *

'Harry?' Hermione shouted across the common room.

'Uh-huh?' he asked distractedly, head bent over his work.

She walked over and stood by his chair. 'Can you give this to Nott for me? You have Defence with him this afternoon don't you?'

'What is it?'

'Notes from Ancient Runes.'

'Do I have to?' he asked beseechingly. 'I don't think Nott likes me very much.'

'He doesn't _trust_ you very much,' she corrected. 'And apparently the feeling is mutual, so you shouldn't really complain. _Plus,_ this work is _vital_ for our NEWTS, Harry!'

'Fine,' Harry sighed. He reached out and took the notes.

* * *

His last class of the day was DADA, with Professor Metus. She was still neurotic, still reluctant to let them attempt anything even remotely dangerous, but Harry couldn't hate her. She wasn't like Umbridge, for all that they shared a belief in books rather than wands. She was genuinely afraid for the students, so Harry forgave her for the dullness of their classes. Besides, she let them practice a little more spell-work now. She still wrung her hands nervously as they did it, but Harry suspected that she knew they might need these spells. Above anything else, she was still here, still holding the most dangerous staff position, while knowing that Voldemort had to strike the school this year if he wanted Harry. For that he could accord her a little respect.

Harry sidled over to Nott's desk. The other boy wasn't a Death Eater, as far as he knew, so technically it wouldn't put him in danger just to speak to him, but Harry didn't want to arouse suspicion. He placed the notes on Nott's desk. 'Hermione asked me to give you these. They're from Runes I think.'

Nott picked them up without changing expression. 'Tell her thank you.'

Harry nodded and was about to walk off. But Nott looked as if he wanted to say something else. 'Is that all?' Harry asked.

'Yes. Wait. Tonight?' Nott lowered his voice to a whisper. 'Could we practice the Patronus charm?'

'Umm...tonight I was going to do shields.'

'It's fine then.' Nott answered quickly.

'We could...'

'Don't worry about it.'

Harry nodded slowly and returned to his seat.

* * *

Without there being any clear route of information, it had become common knowledge within the DA that Harry and Draco were together. Unlike Hermione and Ron, they did nothing so obvious as hug or kiss where they could be seen, but apparently they had been sitting too close, or talking too intimately, because although no one had said anything, the secret was out. All they could do was be thankful for the small miracle that something so open within the DA was entirely unknown outside it.

They were practicing shields for what seemed like the thousandth time. Harry knew that some of them, especially the younger ones, were bored by this. But while he tried to take what Snape had said about choices to heart, he wasn't taking unnecessary risks. A well-executed shield could easily be the difference between life and death. Harry suspected it probably had been for him at one time or another, but then he'd had more life-and-death experiences than he could remember with any great accuracy.

Some of them still weren't getting it.

'Mark!' Harry called. He walked over to meet the fourth year. 'You need to flick the wand down and right, not just down.' He stood behind him, and put his hand over Mark's to demonstrate.

Mark froze, and a nervous flush spread up his neck.

Harry was confused and then embarrassed. He removed his hand carefully and stood alongside Mark to demonstrate instead.

Mark's partner today was Blaise, and the tall brunet was watching proceedings with a kind of amused interest. He sauntered up to Mark. 'Don't look so worried, Cartwright.' He grinned predatorily at Harry. 'Harry only goes for the pretty boys. Alas for him, my heart belongs to another, so he had to settle for poor deluded Draco.'

Harry gaped for a millisecond, and then met Blaise's eyes. The Slytherin was watching him challengingly. Harry walked the few steps between him and Blaise, and smiled sweetly. 'Nope. I just prefer blonds.'

This startled a laugh out of the DA members close enough to hear. Blaise nodded in satisfied acknowledgement.

Harry wandered around for a few minutes and then went to the front and blew his whistle. 'Okay! Everyone's getting a lot better at those, so well done. I thought we might practice the Patronus for the last ten minutes. We haven't done it in a while, and Voldemort is almost definitely going to use Dementors, so we should be prepared.' He grinned. 'Plus, the Patronus is fun.'

The command sparked enthusiasm in the students, who always enjoyed this particular charm, difficult though it was. Nott caught his eye for a second before looking away again.

Harry walked around the room, paying particular attention to the younger and Slytherin members, whom he hadn't seen perform it before. He paused to help several of the third and fourth formers who were getting disheartened.

'That's good, Owen.' The boy had produced a white haze. 'That's the first step. Once you've done that, all you need is practice.'

Owen smiled up at him gratefully. 'Thanks, Harry.'

Harry could see Draco pulling faces in the background, but chose to ignore him. 'You're welcome, keep up the good work. All of you!'

When he reached Theodore Nott, Harry stopped again. He was quieter this time, the older ones generally wanted less vocal help. 'You okay?'

'I'm fine.'

'Okay then.' Harry walked over to the Ravenclaw fifth years. 'Remember to sort out the happy thought in your head _before_ trying the spell. Otherwise it won't work, no matter how good everything else is.' Behind him Harry heard Nott incant the spell again, and this time the distinctive whoosh of the Patronus Charm followed. He resisted the urge to turn around, and continued walking. When he judged himself far enough away he risked a glance in Nott's direction and saw the panther Patronus circling the Slytherin. Nott met his eyes again, and this time held them a little longer. Harry smiled to himself as he finished his tour of the room.

He stopped at the front and whistled again. 'Good! Okay, that's it for tonight. You're all doing really well. Look out for the next meeting time.' As the DA slowly filed out, Harry pulled Blaise to one side. 'About before? Thanks,' he said sincerely.

'No problem. Cartwright's muggle-born you know, that was why. No one else is going to care about the fact that Draco's a guy. The fact that he's a Slytherin is likely to be the sticking point...'

'So you're not bothered that...?'

'That Draco's taken? Not particularly, no. Granger being taken, now that is the real tragedy...'

Harry looked over at Hermione. He supposed if you looked at her objectively she had grown up to be quite pretty. But he had known her for so long...

Blaise grinned. 'Don't see it?'

'She's pretty,' Harry assured him. 'It's just...'

'I know,' Blaise responded. 'Weasley was always the threat. Trust me, there are quite a few who were hoping he would never get up the courage to ask.'

Harry laughed. 'He didn't, she asked him.'

'Well you may tell her that she broke hearts when she did it, then.' Blaise answered dramatically. 'Not as many as when you were taken though,' he finished slyly.

'That's not...I mean...anyway, thanks for before.'

'Any time, boss,' Blaise answered with a half-smile.

'You _really_ don't need to call me that...' Harry pointed out.

'It's fun to see your face turn that colour,' Blaise replied, turning his smile into a full smirk before turning on his heel and leaving.

Harry shook his head ruefully.

* * *

Draco and Harry showed up at Occlumency separately. When Harry walked into the room Snape hadn't arrived yet, so he could sit a little closer than normal.

Draco was making faces again. When Harry glared at him, he proceeded to mock-swoon. Harry shoved him. Draco looked at Harry from between his fingers. 'What? I can't worship at the altar of the great Harry Potter, perfomer of Patronus charms, leader of men, rescuer of small children and cute furry animals?'

Harry shoved him again.

'Darling, I think we need to talk about the violence in our relationship.'

'Darling?'

'That was sarcasm, Potter, learn to pick it out.'

'Some time soon we're going to get through a whole day where you call me by my first name.'

'Not today though. I'm still seeing small children peering up at you with adoring eyes. Greedily absorbing the few words of wisdom you choose to bestow. It's sickening, you know that?'

'It's not my fault they trust me...'

'And now you've got Blaise wrapped round your little finger too!'

'He makes fun of me whenever he gets the chance!'

'Blaise adopts the traditional male approach of showing respect for someone. _And _you have Nott. Was this Slytherin outreach day? If you had got Daphne too I would have to be suspicious.'

'I didn't _get_ anyone. Today just happened to be a good day.'

'I wasn't complaining.'

Harry looked incredulous. 'Yes. You were.'

'Harry, if I was complaining, you'd know about it.'

'I do!'

'No.'

'You complaining is worse than this?'

'_Much.'_

'Why am I still with you again?'

'I can give you one reason.' Draco leant down to kiss Harry.

'Have you two lost any _ounce_ of wit you once had?' Snape was standing in the doorway, glowering.

Draco whispered in Harry's ear. 'I thought you said this was a good day?'

* * *

A/N2: hugs to Cithara who called me a star. blushes - I'm kinda sorry that the fluff has to end too. But Voldemort has to come back at some point...plus, h/c is my guilty pleasure and angst is great for it...  
hugs to HecateDeMort too, who I'm fairly sure has reviewed every update! 


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: hugs angel of chaos, Love Alchemist (glad the kiss was worth the wait!), Rachy, Cithara (I love my Blaise too...kinda worried now that JKR is going to actually write about him in HBP and then what will I do? hope you still think the angst's gonna make it worthwhile...) and HecateDeMort

So, the angst begins...

* * *

'Professor...we...' Harry had lost the ability to sentence properly.

'Helpful,' Snape observed coldly. 'What are you thinking?'

'That unless you're going to investigate every student relationship in Hogwarts you can't investigate ours?' Draco fired back.

'You're not even going to attempt to deny it?' Snape asked incredulously.

Draco met his eyes defiantly. 'We were kissing! How much room for denial were we left with?'

'You could at least have made the attempt, Mr Malfoy, to acknowledge that you were doing something foolish.'

'What's foolish about it?'

Snape was, uncharacteristically, lost for words. He regained them soon enough. '_What's foolish! _You,' he pointed at Harry, 'top the Death Eaters,' most wanted list. And _you,_' he turned to Draco, 'would be number two if anyone knew exactly what it is you're doing. If you showed any open affection, any gifts, any marks...'

Draco leant conspiratorially into Harry. 'Did our Professor just warn me not to give you a love-bite?'

Harry replied weakly, 'Or vice-versa.'

Snape took a step closer to the two of them, hovering menacingly, 'If you persist in this madness he will make one of you watch the other die screaming.'

'We're being careful,' Draco protested.

'You are _never_ careful,' Snape said. 'you are always pushing the boundaries. Making each other unsafe. Now I am telling you, if you truly care about each other, you will end this. Now.' He swept out of the room.

* * *

It was the first Hogsmeade weekend after Christmas and three days after Snape had ordered Harry and Draco to end it. They hadn't, but neither had they seen each other. 

Harry and Hermione were having an animated argument. 'I've been reading up on it!' Harry exclaimed.

'It's dangerous!' she replied anxiously. 'Blood magic is traditionally regarded as about the most dangerous method of strengthening bonds.'

'Only if you use it that way. We could use it for the DA. To help talk, to help the house thing...'

'Can we possibly have this conversation later?' Ron asked desperately. The three of them were walking down the main street past the shops.

Hermione turned to answer him. There was a deafening scream.

'What was...?' Ron asked.

Harry pointed down the street. Terrified shoppers and Hogwarts students were running up the street, towards the train station. He knew what it was, he had felt this before. Harry ran into the closest shop - Honeydukes. 'Floo Hogwarts and the Ministry NOW. Tell them Voldemort's here.'

The man behind the counter looked at Harry incredulously for a moment, and then recognised him. He ran into the back of the shop.

Harry saw Susan running his direction. 'Harry! They're saying Voldemort's coming! Through the fields behind Dervish and Banges. He's got Dementors.'

Harry nodded at her quickly. 'There's students everywhere, can you get people together, make sure we get all the kids to the station and back towards the school?'

'What about you?'

'He's looking for me. If I go down that direction everyone else should be able to get out the other way.'

The Dementors were advancing ahead of Voldemort and had made it to the edges of the street. Harry shot off a Patronus to hold them back. Hermione and Ron sent theirs as well. Harry heard more spells from behind him and realised that a small crowd of students had amassed behind him.

'What should we do?' It was Seamus.

'Help Susan get the kids back to Hogwarts. And anyone else who wants out of the town.'

'We're not leaving you by yourself,' Ron responded.

Harry sighed. 'I didn't imagine you would. Okay, fifth years and above with a good Patronus stay at the edges to take the Dementors. Everyone else, GO!'

They scurried off. The Dementors were half-way up the street now. Voldemort and the group of Death Eaters were visible on the horizon. Harry sent Ron into Honeydukes again to tell the man to Floo all the remaining shops and houses on the street. Anyone remaining in their houses was advised to leave through their back doors and head towards Hogwarts.

'Plan?' Hermione asked nervously. Everyone else had retreated back on Harry's orders, but Ron and Hermione refused to leave him.

'I was really hoping something would have happened by now.'

'What?'

Harry looked behind him and sighed in relief. 'That.'

Hermione and Ron turned around. Albus Dumbledore was striding firmly down the street, Professor McGonagall at his right hand. Most of the other Professors strode in their wake. Snape was obviously missing.

'Tom!' Dumbledore called. 'What do you imagine you can achieve with this senselessness?'

'Many, many, things, _Albus._'

'Get back, Harry,' Dumbledore ordered urgently.

Harry obeyed, dragging Hermione and Ron back with him. The town was empty now but for the teachers, Death Eaters and DA members. All the residents and students had left.

Voldemort and Dumbledore were now no more than twelve feet apart. A shimmering barrier shot up around the two of them.

'My Lord?' one of the masked Death Eaters asked in confusion.

'It doesn't matter, fools!' Voldemort hissed. 'Carry out the plan.'

Voldemort fired his first spell at Dumbledore and the Death Eaters rushed the children. The Professors and DA members who had stayed behind hurried to help Harry, Ron and Hermione.

'Expelliarmus!'

'Reducto!'

'Relashio!'

'Protego!'

Harry found himself surrounded by enough bodies that there wasn't a Death Eater able to get near to him. Taking advantage of this, he shot the Patronus charm through the gaps at the Dementors who were now advancing on the battle. There were more of those on the light side than there were Death Eaters, unlikely as that sounded, so Harry kept his attention on the Dementors and gave help to whoever seemed in the most difficulties. The Professors and seventh years were holding their own, so he focussed on the sixth and seventh years.

Colin Creevey, who of course wouldn't leave, was fighting a losing battle. Harry's, 'Stupefy,' was enough of a shock to take out the Death Eater, but it had taken Harry's attention off his back.

'Harry!' He turned around just in time to see a slight figure in Death Eater robes hurl himself between Harry and a fired hex. The boy fell to the ground.

Lucius Malfoy was gaping in shock at the still figure of his only child, his wand still pointed at Harry. The Dementors were swooping down on Draco, who still wasn't moving. There were too many people between Harry and Draco, he wouldn't get there in time.

'Expecto Patronum!' The voice was Harry's, but the wand that the white stag came charging out of was held limply in the hand of the figure on the ground.

A Death Eater was moving towards Draco, but it wasn't Lucius. Severus forced a path through the Dementors and scooped Draco up with ease. He walked towards Harry and set Draco down carefully beside him. Severus glared defiance at his one-time friend who would have sat and watched his son die. He tore off the mask and threw himself into the fray.

Harry managed to drag Draco to one side. He was still breathing, but weakly. The hex had only caught his side. No doubt if it had hit its intended target Harry would be dead or as good as dead by now. Thanking whoever was listening that they had been practicing shields so long, he delved into Draco's thoughts.

_Protego_

Again the spell emanated from the unconscious boy drawing a powerful shield around him. Harry used Draco's knowledge to do it, but added his own power. Nothing would get in or out except him. Harry gave Draco's hand a squeeze before stepping back out into the battle.

Outside Dumbledore's shield they seemed to be winning. The Dementors were mostly driven back, thanks to the efforts of the DA who were now very capable at Patronus charms. The Professors were taking most of the Death Eaters themselves. Inside the circle it was impossible to tell what was going on. There was so much smoke and noise coming from the protected circle Dumbledore had created for himself and Voldemort, that nothing else could be distinguished.

Harry stayed as near to Draco as he could manage while still fighting the battle. He was surprised to observe that the other DA members also gravitated that direction. Luna and Neville smiled briefly at Harry as they came to stand beside Draco. Harry felt confident enough to move further away and take on the remaining Dementors. He saw Dean supporting Seamus, pulling him out of the battle. They weren't the only ones hurt but Harry could see no one who wasn't still conscious, however bleary that consciousness might be.

Snape looked unsteady on his feet, and as Harry weaved through the battle to get closer, he saw the ugly angle of one leg. He moved that direction to try and help. Before he reached Snape there was a strange echoing bang. The shield around Voldemort and Dumbledore had fallen. Death Eaters still able to use magic apparatedaway with a series of cracks. The battlefield stilled as it became apparent the fight was over. The milling crowds began to centre around one spot. Someone was hurt. Dead. It couldn't be…

It was Dumbledore.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N1: One minor obscenity in this chapter, which I only mention as its the first 'bad' one so far as I remember. Bear the circumstances in mind before complaining if you're that way inclined please. Also, one other reference which could be interpreted as sexual, although I don't

* * *

Minerva McGonagall dropped the latest issue of the Prophet on Severus' desk. He lifted it silently.

'Who took this?' he asked.

'Someone at Hogsmeade. There must have been a photographer.'

'I don't remember.'

'Neither do I, Severus. But then I remember very little after...'

'True.' He looked at the picture again. He and Minerva were magically bearing Albus' body towards the school. The cloak had been pulled over his face, but the succinct title 'DUMBLEDORE DEAD' put paid to any doubts. Just to further pull the heartstrings the author had made sure to pick the photograph with lots of crying children in the background. He could see Hermione Granger with her arms around a group of third years, trying to comfort them through her own tears. And of course, to add the scandal aspect, on the edge of the photo, beside the sidebar about 'spies' he could see Harry, helped by Ron, carrying a still unconscious Draco up to the castle. Harry's face was expressionless but the wizarding photo picked up the stream of silent tears moving down his face.

'Jackals,' Minerva hissed. 'Whose first reaction, in a time like this, is to take a photograph?'

Snape looked at the bottom of the article. 'Charles Falconer in a Prophet exclusive first-hand account.'

'How _dare_ they?'

'It would have got out soon enough,' he answered emotionlessly.

'He died _yesterday_, Severus. And they're already asking who's going to be Headmaster next. Whether it's going to affect student intake? Whether it's going to encourage Voldemort?'

'Send them to me and I shall tell them you, yes and yes. Then they may stop speculating.'

'Severus...'

'I am sorry, Minerva, I simply lack the energy to be angered by this right now.'

'Of course. You've been exposed as a spy now, plus...'

He cut her off, 'This has nothing to do with trying to save my own skin. This is about...'

'I know.'

They stayed in silence for a few minutes. Then a face appeared in the fire. It was Madam Pomfrey. 'Draco Malfoy is waking up. You asked to be notified?'

'We'll be right there,' Snape promised.

* * *

Harry was keeping quiet vigil over Draco. None of the people bustling around dealing with the minor and not-so-minor injuries in the Hospital Wing dared to disturb him. Madam Pomfrey had waved her wand over Draco, assured Harry that he was about to wake up, and left to call Professor Snape.

Hermione and Ron had sat with him until he had ordered them away. Ron had at last agreed and dragged Hermione off with him, Harry hoped that alone they could chase those looks of quiet desperation from each others eyes. Ginny quietly informed him later, when she came to see Dean and the others still getting treatment, that the two were entwined together in the boys' dormitory, proving to each other that they were still alive.

Through the night various people had wandered in and out. Harry was unsure whether they had come to see Draco or comfort him. Many of them had nervously encouraged him to go and get some sleep. No one had pushed though, which was lucky, as he wasn't looking for a fight at the moment. It wasn't as if he would have slept anyway. Every time he closed his eyes he saw spell-flashes. The spell which had nearly killed Draco and that which..._had _killed Dumbledore had become twisted together in his mind. Dumbledore was dead and Draco looked as if he was and in his head all Harry could hear was screaming and Voldemort's laughter. He was just about aware enough to register that he was in shock, that this silence he was sitting in wasn't the right response. He should be crying, or yelling or throwing things. Or maybe screwing his boyfriend. But his boyfriend was practically in a coma, and even if he wasn't Harry wasn't allowed to kiss him, let alone anything else.

And Madam Pomfrey had sworn that he would wake up soon. And if Draco woke up, maybe, just maybe, Harry could break down. But he was still lying there like death.

Like death, but not quite. Harry saw a slight flickering behind Draco's eyelids. 'Draco?'

Madam Pomfrey hurried back into the room, pushing Harry out of the way to sit at Draco's side. 'Mr Malfoy? Can you hear me?'

Professors Snape and McGonagall hurried in. They crowded around Draco's bed and various other people joined them. Harry noticed nothing but the fact he could no longer see Draco. He tried to push through, but was held back.

Snape was standing at the foot of the bed, and it was him who Draco's bleary eyes focussed on when they finally opened. 'Draco? How do you feel?'

'Tired. Sore.'

'Do you remember what happened?'

There was a sharp intake of breath, and Snape saw the grey eyes widen with fear. 'Harry?'

Harry shoved past Madam Pomfrey who made a disapproving noise. 'Here.'

'You're okay?' Draco asked, still confused enough not to care how vulnerable he sounded.

'I'm fine,' Harry replied quickly. 'You got in the hex's way.'

'Did we lose many?'

Harry was silent. He sat on the edge of Draco's bed and collected his thoughts. 'Just one.'

Draco looked around the quiet room, and made the connection. 'Dumbledore.'

Harry nodded.

'Who's in charge?'

Someone in the background tutted but Harry knew Draco wasn't being callous. 'No one yet. It'll be sorted soon. There's a lot to organise. Everyone knows about you and Snape for one thing.'

Draco looked thoughtful. He pulled Harry towards him and reached inside the front of his boyfriend's robes. This time more than one person was in consternation, and again Harry knew exactly what Draco was doing. He reached behind his own head, and unclasped the chain hanging there. He slid his own DA galleon off, and attached the chain, with the remaining coin, around Draco's neck.

'No secrets anymore,' Draco said sadly.

'No more secrets,' Harry agreed, holding Draco's hand tightly as the exhausted boy drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Draco woke up to the sound of Harry punching a wall. 'Harry?'

'Did I wake you?'

'Do you want me to be polite and say no? Because otherwise I'm not sure why you would wonder at the sound of fist against brick waking me.'

'Sorry,' Harry muttered.

'Can't sleep?'

'I haven't slept since.'

'I had guessed,' Draco observed with a slight smile that felt like sacrilege.

'Why...'

'Why what?'

'Nothing.'

'What were you going to say?' Draco asked.

'Nothing with an answer.'

'Why did he die?' he tried.

'I know _why_ he died. Because of me,' Harry answered matter-of-factly.

'Harry, that's not true.'

'Voldemort wants me dead.'

'I'm reasonably certain he wanted Dumbledore dead too.'

'He didn't attack the school in the first war. He's never attacked Dumbledore.'

'Maybe he decided this was finally the time. He's always been a threat.'

'Why doesn't anyone ever decide just to give me to him? What harm could it do?'

'You'd be dead!'

'Dumbledore's dead. You nearly died. _Why _do people think I'm worth dying for?'

Harry was crying now, and Draco was relieved. Tears were better than the previous cold questioning. He tried to pull himself up, and Harry came to his side. Draco met his eyes. 'Because they know you're the one that's going to save us all. People will do anything for you, Harry, have you not noticed that yet?'

'Even you?'

'Even me.'

'So do something for me. I can't do this again, Draco. I _can't. _Can't sit by another body. I can't try and explain to myself _again_ why this happened. Can't have another person tell me it's not my fault.'

'What do you want me to do?' Draco asked quietly.

'Promise me that this is the last.'

'I can't…'

'Promise me!'

'_No one_ can tell you that.'

'Then lie.'

Draco laid his head back against the pillow, and pushed Harry's head onto the bed. He kept a hand tangled in Harry's dark hair. Harry cushioned his head on his arms and let Draco's voice wash over him like a bedtime story. 'I promise you, Harry James Potter, that no one else you love will die. Voldemort will come here one last time, and you will kill him without anyone else being hurt. You'll become a famous Quidditch player and win the World Cup. Hermione and Ron will get married, have lots of kids and grow old together. Everyone you love will live happily ever after.'

'What about you?' Harry asked.

Draco's hand stilled on Harry's head. 'I don't know. Can't imagine the Ministry will let me keep the estate. And I'm probably not terribly employable right now.'

'You could come with me.'

'I wouldn't be a good house-husband, Harry.'

'See?'

'What?'

'We can't even lie ourselves a happy ending.'


	13. Chapter 13

Harry remembered almost nothing of the morning of Dumbledore's funeral. What he recalled was brief flashes. He didn't remember making a speech, but he remembered Hermione's face in tears when she told him it had been beautiful. He didn't remember carrying the coffin from the Great Hall, decked out in mourning, to the graveyard behind the school. But he did remember Remus, Professors Snape and McGonagall, Arthur Weasley and Aberforth Dumbledore holding the coffin low so that the smallest pall-bearer could reach. He didn't remember the guests arriving or leaving, but knew they must have done both as he vividly recalled Molly Weasley hugging him tightly when she found him, and doing it again when she steered him towards Draco before saying goodbye.

None of his memories were particularly strung together until the afternoon, however. Snape came down to the hospital wing and placed a hand on his shoulder. Harry jumped.

'The reading of the will,' Snape explained. 'You're supposed to be in Dumbledore's...the Headmaster's office.'

'I don't understand why I need to be there...'

'Because you're on the list, Mr Potter.'

Harry nodded reluctantly and left the Hospital Wing with Snape.

* * *

They were gathered around a table in the Headmaster's office which had not been there before. Harry recognised most of the people there – all of the Professors were on the list, Minister Bones, Aberforth Dumbledore, Remus – although there were a few older witches and wizards he didn't recognise. It was one of these people who broke the seal on the parchment at the head of the table. To Harry's surprise, the man didn't begin to read it - rather he set it in the centre of the table. Albus Dumbledore's voice was heard in the room.

'My dear friends,' the voice started. 'One more time I must trouble you to listen to the ramblings of an old man. I promise this will be the last. The great advantage we have over muggles is the ability to hang on just a little while, to leave our last goodbyes. So that is the first, and most important thing I must do – to bid you all an extremely fond farewell. Look after each other, as I'm sure you will, and you will not even notice my absence. Minerva, my dear, I know you will look after the school. Severus, I'm sure, will act as your Deputy if you ask him politely. And if I ask him politely, he will head the Order of the Phoenix, won't you Severus?'

Dumbledore laughed, and it echoed differently now. Harry realised that Dumbledore was now talking just to him. Harry felt the knot in his heart begin to unravel when he heard the Headmaster's warm, reassuring voice in his ear, just as it had been so many times in this office. '_Harry, my dear boy. I am extremely proud of the young man you have become while I've known you, and I'm sure I will be even prouder of you as time goes on. You are going to do great things. Already you and Draco have achieved something most people thought impossible. I'm not referring to your unique ability to work magic through each other, remarkable though that is. The two of you have created a bond which transcends the house divide. Remember what I told you, Harry. Love is your greatest strength. Don't be afraid of it. Those we love are constantly coming and going, that is true. But they are forever a part of us. And one day we will all meet again, never fear. It will not be for years if those who love you have any say, but I will see you again, child.' _

Severus had his head bowed, listening to Dumbledore impart his final words of wisdom. _Severus, I hope you forgive me for asking you these few more things. There is no-one in the world I would rather entrust my school and the Order to, and I am certain you will manage these admirably. I am proud of the man you became. But I'm afraid, my friend, that I have one last thing to ask. Look after young Mr Potter and Malfoy for me. You, of all the people in this school, understand best what those two young men will have to go through. And perhaps you can find it in you to smooth their romantic journeys a little as well as their emotional ones. Ah! To be young and in love... Until we meet again, Severus, remember what I told you. I was allowed to die as I had chosen. Headmasters, like fathers, would rather be buried by their children than bury them. I am sorry for nothing, and I pass the school to yourself and Minerva with a light heart.' _

Dumbledore was speaking to everyone again. 'One more goodbye friends, and then I must go. Remember, even in these times of darkness, to live fully, so that when we come back to light you have no regrets. Then you may face death unafraid. After all...to the well organised mind, death is but the next great adventure. I am supremely excited about where this adventure will take me. With love, farewell.'

Harry had mouthed the final words of Professor Dumbledore to himself, and when he looked up again he saw every face in the room had the same dazed expression. They looked oddly peaceful after the shocked, grief-stricken expressions of before. Slowly they shook themselves out of it, returning to the world with a crash, but perhaps a slightly less harsh one than before.

Severus placed a hand on Harry's shoulder, more gently this time. 'Come along, Mr Malfoy will be wondering where you've got to.'

* * *

Draco was asleep again when Harry returned to his bedside. He wasn't alone though. Daphne sat at his side, clutching the pale hand. She was talking quietly to his sleeping form, so Harry discretely walked off for a breath of air. By the time he came back she had stopped talking, and now acknowledged Harry. 'I'm sorry I wasn't there.'

He looked at her in surprise, 'Nobody suspected anything was going to happen, why are you sorry?'

'Aren't you sorry that he needed to jump in front of you?'

'What? Of course.'

'But it wasn't your fault. Nobody knew what Lucius Malfoy was going to do. Or what Draco was going to do.'

'I know,' Harry acknowledged. 'But there really was no reason for you to be there. I should have known what Draco would do. And what Voldemort would do...'

Daphne watched him. 'No you shouldn't have. But I understand what you mean.' She stroked the back of Draco's hand lightly.

Harry nodded towards her hand. 'Do you...?'

'Hmmm...? Oh, no. I wouldn't anyway. He's yours.' She laughed, covering her mouth with her hand in case it was inappropriate.

Harry just smiled at her. 'I don't think he's really anybody's. It wouldn't be very Slytherin to allow a Gryffindor to claim possession of you.'

She sniffed at that.

'What?'

'Do you really think it matters? That you're a Gryffindor and he's a Slytherin?'

'To us, not really. I was joking... But it matters to other people.'

'Who cares?' she shot back.

'You really don't?'

'Do you know who my godmother is, Potter?'

'Andromeda Tonks.'

'Yes. _That _was how little my mother cared about the pure-blood Slytherins. She gave me a godmother whose name is not spoken in polite circles.'

'She must be very brave.'

'Very angry, Potter. You see, my mother was tragically, hopelessly in love with a Death Eater who got himself killed.' Daphne looked rather scathing at the idea of being tragically in love with anyone. 'Or rather, one who got himself into the thing, wanted out, and naturally couldn't. That's what it is to believe in house rivalry, Potter. To believe in _blood_. You end up killer or killed. My godmother got out of that, married a muggle-born. Gets the best of both worlds.'

'The man your mother was in love with...was it Regulus Black?'

'How did you...? Oh, of course, Sirius was your godfather wasn't he? I'm sorry.'

'Thanks,' he replied quietly.

She got up. 'I should really go, Potter. Tell Draco I'll see him in the Great Hall tonight, he said he was getting up for dinner.'

'Sure,' Harry agreed.

* * *

Harry was sitting in the Great Hall picking at his food. None of the students seemed particularly enthusiastic in what was going on. It was because of this lack of conversation that when Draco opened the door to enter the hall, everyone heard. He was still pale and leaning heavily on a crutch. As he walked towards the Slytherin table the whisperings began.

'Spy.'

'Blood-traitor.'

'Deserter.'

'Turncoat.'

Harry got up, and walked towards Draco. 'Shut up.' There was complete silence. He wrapped an arm around the taller boy's waist to support him, and walked him past the Slytherin table to stand with the Gryffindors. After a seconds hesitation Blaise got up and walked to stand beside Draco. Daphne and Nott followed a few seconds later. At the Gryffindor table, Hermione and Ron stood up beside Harry. Ginny and Neville followed immediately, and then the other DA members. The Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables mimicked them.

Harry felt again the eerie calm that Dumbledore's presence had brought. He stood on the bench with Ron supporting him on one side and Draco (himself supported by Blaise) on the other. He looked around to see his army standing up all over the hall. Those who weren't a part of it were watching Harry expectantly. He opened his mouth to find the right words already formed, as if he had prepared for this without knowing. 'This is what you're facing - any one of you who still believes that Hogwarts is better divided. We are _one_. And these are the ones that have promised to protect you - any one of you who fears what might happen if you stand up against it. The best of all worlds come together against the darkness.'

Professor McGonagall got up to say something, but Snape raised a hand to stop her.

Harry hadn't even paused. 'You may fight us if you choose, but we _will_ win. We can't not win. We are pure-blood and muggle-born. We are cunning and loyalty, courage and intelligence. We are Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, Gryffindor and Slytherin.'

Harry's face flickered in the candlelight, and his voice continued uninterrupted. He was mesmerising.

'We stand together, unafraid. We are Dumbledore's Army.'

* * *

AN2: Given the real world today, I'm kinda wishing I had left the angst for later. The fact that the DE attack nearly happened on a train is creeping me out, and then my mother quoted, practically word for word MM's comment about people taking photographs of tragedies. Love to those in London.

**bda** and **angel of chaos**: sorry about the cliffhanger, but I don't leave you _that_ many in this story, right?  
**Cithara**: I really, _really_didn't want to write that death, but I needed it to happen. It's weird, I hated JKR for killing Sirius, but in a way I'm glad, because it gives story angst, but I could _never_ have killed him. On a sidenote - you'd be amazed how rarely I get called dude! Or told that I rock. I kinda like it...  
hugs all of those above as well as **HecateDeMort** and **crystal **(glad it was a shock - I was afraid Dumbledore would be an obvious death)


	14. Chapter 14

Harry left the Great Hall, and the DA walked after him. Marched after him, practically. Harry thought wryly that Fudge might have been right after all. If they hadn't been an army before, they were now.

The energy had left him at this point, and once they left the Hall he sagged against Ron. Draco was still being propped up by Blaise, the effort of holding himself poker straight for Harry's speech having exhausted him.

Harry looked at Draco, 'What now?'

'Hmm?'

'What do we do now?'

'You don't have a plan?'

'That was it.'

Draco smiled tiredly. 'Unbelievably, that's vaguely reassuring. I wouldn't like to think you had turned into a military leader without my noticing.'

'No. One speech and then that's me.'

Draco giggled, actually giggled, and that's when Harry knew something was wrong. Draco leant forward to repeat in a whisper what Harry had asked, 'What do we do now? Everyone knows.'

'About you or about us?' Harry asked in the same whisper, ignoring the curious looks of the rest of the DA, still milling around the hallway.

'Me. I have to live with those people. I use the dungeons. I need to sleep.'

'Is it safe?'

Blaise walked up to them, Nott and Daphne trailing behind. 'We'll make sure he's okay. If worst comes to worst he can stay in my room. Then if we're lucky they'll think I'm having a threesome with the two of you...'

'How is that lucky?' Harry asked bemusedly.

'It would do wonders for my social status,' he answered blithely. Then, more softly, a hand on Draco's arm, 'C'mon blondie, I'll make sure you're not killed in your sleep. And bed for you too, Captain. You look as if you're about to topple over.'

'Add Captain to the list of things you can't call me,' Harry muttered. He made to head for the stairs. 'Does anyone else need anything?'

'Go to bed, Harry,' Hermione answered. He nodded, and turned to go up. He didn't notice Hermione gather the rest of the DA round her as he went.

* * *

'Harry?' Hermione asked. It was breakfast the next morning, and he was still too tired to be suspicious of her innocent look.

'Yes?'

'We're having a meeting today, right?'

'Suppose we probably should, why?'

'I wanted to check something with the charms on your galleon before you sent out the time, that's all. Do you mind?'

'Go ahead.' Draco had the chain, so he pulled his coin out of his pocket and handed it to her.

She tapped at it with her wand. 'What time do you want the meeting anyway? I'll do it for you.'

'Umm...eight?'

'Okay.' She flicked at it again. 'Done. I'll see you in Potions, okay? I need to go to the library.'

Harry looked at Ron questioningly. The other boy shrugged elaborately in response.

* * *

Harry entered the Room of Requirement, and to his surprise found the entire DA already there. 'Am I late?'

Ron shook his head.

Harry looked around. Unless he had some deeply buried dark thoughts, the room was picking up on someone else's designs. It hadn't looked this ominous since the night Slytherins had joined. 'What's wrong?' he asked Draco.

'Don't look at me,' Draco protested, cocking his head towards Hermione.

They were all watching Harry now. 'What's wrong?' he asked again, louder this time.

'Nothing's wrong, Harry,' Hermione replied soothingly, though her eyes looked troubled. 'We just...you were right.'

'When?'

'At Hogsmeade. Before...before. We need to be stronger.'

'Blood magic. I thought it was too dangerous.'

'It is dangerous. If it wasn't for this I wouldn't even be suggesting it. But you're right. We need to be ready.'

Harry nodded reluctantly. Now that Hermione had agreed he wasn't so sure he wanted her to. He didn't particularly want to be the reason that she, of all people, decided to throw caution to the wind. But he _was_ right, and she was determined. 'So what do we do?'

'We're agreed on it,' she answered, motioning with her hands to encompass the whole group. 'We're going to tie the bond to you, that way it's safe.'

'What?' Harry asked incredulously. 'Why do I have to be in charge?' He stopped when he realised how ridiculous that sounded.

'It's not being in charge,' Ginny corrected. 'Or at least Hermione says it's not. It's just that we trust you most. This time you don't need to do anything, we're the ones who do the tying.'

'Trust us, mate,' Ron said,

'Of course I trust you,' Harry replied in disbelief. 'But this is powerful magics - Voldemort used blood magic to bring himself back to life! You can't all just suddenly decide that it's okay.'

'It isn't sudden, Harry.' Ginny said. 'You make lots of decisions that are dangerous all the time. Like last night. We don't think its fair that you're always the one in danger.'

'You're all in danger just by being here!' Harry cried.

'And if this works, which it will, it'll be safer for us to be here,' Hermione responded. 'We're going to make it so that we can all mind-talk to each other using the galleons. In case someone's in trouble, or someone attacks us.' Like last time, was the unspoken codicil.

'Is that even possible?' Harry asked

'The Order talk to each other, so they must be able to do it. And we should be able to do it with the stronger magic. We should be able to do it well enough that the person won't even need to think the shout for help – you'll be called anyway. But we need to use the galleons as a conduit so you're not tied up to everyone all the time. Then it'd be as bad as you and Draco, with the magic all mixed up. The problem is that anyone could steal one and try to use it to trick us. So we're linking it up through you. You'll be able to talk to anyone, and anyone can talk to you, but no one will be able to just pick one up and talk to the entire DA.'

'You're like Q, you know that?' Harry joked weakly.

Hermione smiled at him, and a few of the others laughed softly. The rest looked simply puzzled. 'I'll explain later,' he mouthed across at Draco and Ron. He turned back to Hermione. 'So how do we do this?'

The room was already prepared. From one of the shelves Hermione lifted a slender, sharp, knife. 'It isn't difficult,' she said. 'You don't need to say anything unless you want. There isn't any actual spell. Just mean it.'

Harry wanted to stop her, to ask some more questions, to check if she was sure, but it was too late.

She raised the knife. 'My life.' She cut deeply into her palms, wincing.

Ron took the knife from her. 'My life,' he echoed. He nicked both palms. Reaching for Hermione, he clasped their bleeding hands together, and passed the knife to Neville.

Neville's face was pale, and his eyes were closed, but he slit both palms without hesitation. 'My life.'

Ginny, Luna, Seamus, Blaise, Draco. My life. My life. My life. My life. My life.

The knife went around the circle. If Harry had been a muggle he would say that it was like a spell. They said nothing but those two words, unflinchingly piercing their own flesh. And he knew how Hermione meant it went she said it – my life for our cause. He wouldn't blame her for how he heard it – my life in your hands.

It was his turn now. Draco held out the knife, a bright red line marring his pale hand. Harry took it. He slit both palms, then grasped Draco's hand in his right, and Hermione's in his left. As they completed the circle his veins caught fire. He had felt powerful magic before, but nothing like this. There were fifty voices clamouring in the back of his mind. Fifty people demanding his attention, calling for help, or consideration, or instruction. It swept over him, burning him from the inside, and then was gone.

They dropped hands with a sigh. There was silence. Then: 'did anyone else feel that?' Ron asked.

'Oh, thank Merlin!' Blaise answered in relief.

'Do you feel like _that_ all the time?' Hermione asked, still breathing deeply.

'No... that was new. Like what, anyway?'

'All that power.'

'He does,' Draco interjected.

'Hey,' Harry protested, 'that's _not_ how I feel all the time. I think I would know.'

'It's how I feel when you get inside my head for spells,' Draco answered. 'As if I might burst out of my skin.'

'That's how it feels?' Harry asked quietly.

'Yes. And don't apologise. It isn't a bad thing.'

Hermione took another little gasping breath. 'No, of course not, Harry. Just strange. Okay, let's test this. Take the galleon in your hand. Harry, give me yours, I didn't cast the second charm on it yet.' He obliged, and she chanted something long and complicated over it, drawing patterns in the air with her wand. She passed it back.

'So what do I do?' he asked.

'Hold it, and think whatever it is that you want to say.'

He squeezed the coin in his hand, wincing as it came into contact with the still open cut.

_Hello?_

No one said anything.

Draco looked over at him, 'That was me. Different spell. Think about the blood.'

He focussed on the blood spilling out of the cut, over the coin.

'_Hello.'_

'_Whoa!'_

'_Umm...hi?'_

'_Cool!'_

'_Hiya!'_

'_Can you hear each other?' he asked_

'_No, just you'_

_He concentrated on Hermione, 'Hello?'_

'_Yes?' only she replied. _

'_It works,' he replied._

'_Of course it does,' she answered, but he could hear the relief._

Harry spoke normally again. 'Can you fix it so that Ron can hear everyone too? Or would we need to do it again?'

'Umm...no. It should be fine. As long as you allow him to do it, he should be able to. I just need to put another spell on both of your galleons.'

'How many is that now?' Harry asked wryly. He looked over at Ron, who was silent. 'What's wrong?'

'You think we're going to fight in the school?'

'What do you...?'

'That's the only reason I would need to be able to talk to everyone. If you were duelling Voldemort and I needed to order the DA around instead.'

Harry nodded. 'That's why you're second-in-command. I trust you,' he echoed.

Ron nodded solemnly.

Hermione handed them back the coins. Harry looked at it properly for the first time that evening. 'What's this?' The back of the coin no longer bore the Gringotts crest, rather it showed a raised wand, with four sparks coming from it. As he held the coin, the sparks glowed softly – red, green, blue and yellow.

'Dean designed it,' Hermione told him. 'Draco and I did the charms. All of them look like that now.'

'What is it?' Harry asked, already half-knowing the answer.

'Us,' she answered. 'Remember?'

Draco finished for her, 'Four wizarding houses, one source of magic. We're one.'

* * *

A/N: Sorry that was so exposition-heavy, it needed to be done. Just hope everyone understood what was going on...

Thanks to HecateDeMort, angel of chaos, Cithara, and Love Alchemist. Glad you all liked that last scene. It's been a long time in the making - think it was the second or third scene of this story conceived.


	15. Chapter 15

'Umm...Harry?' It was Nicholas Ancheslon, the first of the Slytherins Harry had spoke up for last year. He was hovering nervously alongside the Gryffindor table.

'Yeah?' Harry asked curiously.

'Can I ask you something?'

'Sure,' he replied easily.

Nicholas was bouncing on the balls of his feet. 'Umm…'

Harry watched him compassionately. 'Do you want to go out?'

'I'm fine, it's…'

'Let's go out.'

Harry walked out with the younger boy following. Neither noticed the heads turned curiously to watch them, but Harry felt Draco in the back of his mind.

They sat on the first step of the marble staircase. 'So?' Harry asked. 'What did you want to ask me?'

Michael was more confident now. 'I want to join the DA.'

'What?' Harry asked incredulously.

'I want to join the DA,' he repeated.

'Why?'

'Because you were right but you need more Slytherins.'

'You're too young. You're only in second year!'

'Dennis Creevy's in it. You started two years ago. He was only in second year then, right?'

'You'd be the youngest there. We have third years, but no second years now.'

'I don't mind.'

'You won't be able to do all the spells.'

'I'm pretty good. But even if that's right, I don't mind.'

Harry sighed. 'You know Draco Malfoy?'

The boy laughed, 'You think?'

Harry blinked.

'Of course I know Draco Malfoy,' Nicholas amended.

'We're meeting tonight. He'll bring you in.'

'Don't you need to tell him that?'

'He knows already.'

* * *

Harry entered the room of requirement. 'Can everyone come out a minute? I need to try something.' They followed him out.

'What is it?' Ron asked.

'I want to try something different,' Harry answered. He walked up and down outside the room, concentrating hard.

Crossing his fingers, he opened the door. As they walked in, the people around him gasped. The 'room' no longer looked like one. It looked like a wood. They could barely see the far side, or either end. When he lead them to the right, they could see a wall, about six foot high, set out from the room's real wall. It looked like a miniature version of Hogwarts outer walls.

'What did you do?' Hermione asked.

'Tried something different,' he replied.

'Not funny,' she said, frowning. 'Seriously.'

'I am serious,' he replied with a slight smile. 'We've been practicing two-on-two. I want to do it for real.'

Hermione looked puzzled. 'What do you mean?'

'The war's going to end here, you know that?'

'I know that it might.'

'I want us to be ready.' He turned to face everyone properly. 'Okay, two teams. Ron's leading the group defending the wall. I'm leading the attack from the other side. Go in the twos you've been training in. As close to an age balance as you can make it.'

They dispersed roughly into halves, whispering excitedly the whole time.

Ron looked at the group he had gathered. He had Luna and Neville, Daphne and Zacharias, Susan and Lisa, Hannah and Lavender, Michael and Ernie, and groups of the younger ones. 'We have more.'

Harry had Blaise and Ginny, Seamus and Justin, Dean and Padma, Parvati and Anthony, Nott and Terry and similar numbers of the lower forms. 'Yeah... Umm… Nicholas?' He smiled at the tiny Slytherin. 'Can you and Dennis come over here?'

They walked over to Harry's side. He raised his voice. 'Obviously nothing life-threatening. Try not to use a serious hex when a stunning spell will do. If someone gets badly hurt – red sparks. Anyone who does this when it isn't serious will wish it had been. If someone hits you and you could have been killed or incapacitated, lie down and don't cast anything else. First team to get every member of the other team, or make them surrender, wins. Everyone clear?'

They nodded assent.

'Okay then, we're going to the far side of the trees, you lot defend the wall. You have fifteen minutes before we move. Remember you can use the galleons to talk to Ron or me. Good luck.'

Harry led his group away. When they had reached the far side of the room, through the trees, he stopped.

'Do you have a plan of attack,' Draco asked.

'I was hoping you might help with that,' Harry replied, grinning.

Draco sighed. 'You know, one would imagine that one of the perks of having a relationship with you would be _not _to be ordered around.'

'And you'd _imagine _that one of the perks of having a relationship with you would be not to have to come up with plans of attack. One of us is clearly going to be disappointed,' Harry quipped back.

'I do hate to disappoint,' Draco muttered. 'Ron's going to put people on the edge of the wall, and probably a few in front of it. He'll be on it so he can see what's going on, so Hermione will be there too. They might set some traps in front of the wall. He's going to be prepared for us to attack the front, so that won't work. If we could get past them on the sides though, they probably won't have a lot of defenses once you get over the wall.

'Distraction then?' Harry asked. 'Send a big group into the middle, then a few down each side?' Draco nodded. 'So who goes down the sides? You and me?'

Draco stared at him. 'You don't think he's going to wonder where we are if we're not leading?'

'Okay, not us,' Harry corrected. 'Blaise? You and Ginny take the left flank?'

'Yes, sir,' Blaise drawled back sardonically.

'Oh give over, will you?' Harry answered, smirking. 'Seamus and Justin, you two take the right?'

'Sure, Harry.'

'Okay then. It's nearly time. Everyone else, through the middle of the trees. One person attack, the other one shield, like we practiced. And look out for traps. You four,' he turned to Blaise and the others, 'wait a minute or two, and be as quiet as possible. Everybody know what they're doing? Okay, first group follow me and Draco. Good luck, and be careful.'

'You're wrong,' Draco whispered, as they made their way through the trees, 'you are a leader.'

'No I'm not,' Harry said. 'You made the plan - all I did was tell them to do it.'

'And they did it. That's the hard part. If I had told them, they would have checked with you first.'

'They haven't known you very long.'

'That has nothing to do with it.' They spoke even more quietly as they reached the edges of the trees. 'Harry?' Draco asked as calmly as possible. 'Why did you make a river?'

Harry was puzzled himself. 'I'm not totally sure. I was thinking about what the school wall looks like.'

'We don't have a river.'

'We have a lake.'

'Well then tell me, you didn't imagine any giant squid, right?'

'Let's hope not,' Harry answered nonchalantly. 'Okay, everyone spread out a bit. Remember to keep an eye out for any traps, and be as distracting as possible. We don't want them to realize we're not all here. Go!'

* * *

Harry's teammade their way quickly across the open area, dispersing across it. Dean yanked Padma back, who promptly squealed, and glared at him. He aimed his wand at a suspiciously innocent looking rock which exploded loudly. Holding the galleon in his pocket, he spoke to Harry, looking pointedly at Padma, 'Harry, there's a rock here that blew up…'

'_Trap?'_

'Yeah.'

'_Good thing we did spell detection last week then.'_

'Honestly, man, it just looked weird.'

'…_Okay. Good thing whoever it is can't make real-looking rocks then.'

* * *

_

'Exploding rock,' Harry explained to Draco.

Draco laughed. 'Probably Daphne. That girl really likes pyrotechnics. I think she has anger issues.'

They were approaching the river. Harry waved his wand around the area, producing a silver haze over the edge of the river. He called out quickly, 'Watch out for the…' There was a splash and a yell. '…weeds.'

'Longbottom?'

'I'd bet on it. He was really excited about learning offensive magic in Herbology a couple of months ago.'

'So what do we do?'

Harry pointed his wand at the trees behind them. Three uprooted themselves, flew across to the river and bridged it.

'Show-off.'

* * *

'Ron?' Hermione asked. His eyes were flickering across the battlefield, holding everyone's positions in his head in a way she couldn't understand.

'Give me a minute. Something isn't right.'

* * *

'Harry? Stop a minute.' There were small floating lights over the water on the far side. '_Please_ tell me you didn't put hinkypunks in the river. Did you just want them to win, is that it?'

'I didn't do that!' he exclaimed in annoyance. 'They're transfigured.'

'How do you know?'

'Do you _feel_ yourself being lured into danger?'

'I think it's the _light _that does that…'

'It isn't just the light. Otherwise you have the problem of the wizard asking "why is there a house in the middle of the river?" Professor Lupin explained it. Test it if you don't believe me.'

Draco aimed his wand at the creature, which turned into a beetle and flew off.

'See?'

'A little grace would be nice. That was Hermione, right?'

'I think so.' They finished crossing the river. 'Okay.' He spoke to his team again. 'Is everyone across?'

'_Parvati got hit by a stunning spell,' Anthony replied._

'_Elenor got hit by one of the rocks,' Orla Quirke said nervously._

Everyone else called in.

'Okay then…' a stunning spell flew by Harry's head. … 'we should probably attack them back…'

'Really?'

'Draco!'

'Sorry…'

* * *

'What are they doing?'

'What do you mean?' Hermione asked Ron. She called up another barrier to deflect a long range attempt from Draco.

'Attacking the middle in one group.'

'It's not one group. It's lots of small groups.'

'Too closely packed together. He's trying to distract us.'

'Ron, I love Harry, but he's hardly a master tactician. This is the first time he's done anything like this.'

'I didn't mean Harry.' Ron grabbed the galleon which now swung around his neck like Harry's. He called to the group on the left edge of the wall. 'Susan? Ignore the middle Watch the flank.'

'_All right, Ron,' she said._

'Hannah and Lavender are on the other side, right?' There was a yell from the right hand side.

'_Sorry, Ron'_

'Sorry for what?'

Hermione wheeled round from the battle. 'Ron!'

Blaise and Ginny had crept up behind them. Hermione and Ron were faster.

'Expelliarmus!'

'Stupefy!'

They were dispatched quickly. But Ron got no response from either Lavender or Hannah, so he assumed they were stunned and not allowed to answer.

'Should I go down there?' Hermione asked.

'Uh… No, wait. He won't have anyone else there. It's the other side we should worry about. Susan?' he called. 'Was there anyone on your side?'

'_Seamus and Justin. We got them though.'_

'Great!' he answered. He spoke to Hermione again. 'Okay, I'm pretty sure that's all of them but Harry and Draco, and maybe Nott. Luna and Neville, and Daphne and Zacharias got most of the ones on the ground.'

'Who do we have left?'

'Susan and Lavender. Daphne.'

'_Ron?' Daphne called in his head. 'I think someone got past me.'_

A spell hit Hermione. It was a mild stupefy, and barely grazed her, but following the rules, she dropped to the ground.

Ron shot a spell at Draco, the perpetrator. The blond glared at him before lowering himself gracefully to the stone floor.

Susan had left Lavender and come to help Ron. Her Stupefy missed Harry, but was a distraction. Ron took the opportunity. 'Expelliarmus!' Disarming him was easier than it should have been.

Harry held his hands up. 'You win.'

Ron grinned. 'Guys?' he mind-called. 'My team won.'

There were cheers from around the wall. Harry's team called insults at them, but they just whooped louder.

Harry checked that everyone was okay before he left. He enervated Dennis Creevy, checking against the list in his head of the DA members. That seemed to be everyone.

Draco came up beside him. 'That spell wouldn't have taken you out.'

'And yours would have had you?'

He ignored Harry, 'Not only should you not have been disarmed, but you know enough wandless magic to still have won.'

'I know,' Harry answered briefly.

'So why? I know it's not because you're not competitive.

'Because,' he sighed, 'I needed the castle side to do it, at least this time.'

'Why?'

'They need to believe we can win the war.'

* * *

AN: Battle scenes not so much my forte, I know. I spent a profitable afternoon in the law library drawing out a battle plan for that, so I hope you all appreciate my effort!

Thanks to Cithara, HecateDeMort (the logo was one of the few things I did like in that chapter) and Love Alchemist for kind reviews!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N1: I lied just a little, this chapter's a bit fluffy. Afterwards though, we're at the end. 5 more chapters after this one, guys.

* * *

The Easter holidays were nearly over and nothing of any note had really happened. Hermione had shifted into hysterical NEWT revision mode, but no one was terribly surprised by that.

So it was a surprise, when Harry was sitting on his own in the Common Room, to see Remus's head in the fire. 'Harry,' he said warmly.

'Hi, Remus.' The name was still an effort.

'How are you?'

'Fine. Remus, not that I don't like seeing you, but...'

'What am I doing?' he asked, smiling.

'Something like that,' Harry answered wryly.

'Are you doing anything?'

'I was studying a while ago. I'm done now.'

'Are you sure? This is a very important year for you.'

Harry laughed. 'Hermione told me. I've been revising all day - I should be taking a break now anyway. Are you in the school?'

'Just for the evening. Harry, can you come down to the front door? I have a surprise for you.'

'Umm...okay. I'll see you in a few minutes.'

'See you then.'

* * *

He met Remus at the base of the steps. His former professor gave him a strong hug, which Harry returned awkwardly but happily.

'It's nice to see you.'

'You too, Harry.' He looked him up and down. 'I'd like to say you've grown, but to be frank...'

Harry laughed, 'Don't talk about it! Draco's bad enough.'

'Draco...Harry, we never did talk much about that while I was here before. With everything else...'

The smile fell from Harry's face. 'Are you going to tell me not to see him?'

Remus was shocked. 'Of course I'm not, Harry. Why would I?'

'Snape still isn't very happy about it. He's only tolerating it because of whatever Professor Dumbledore said to him.'

'Harry, do I seem very much like Severus to you?' Lupin asked teasingly. 'I have a great deal of respect for him, but we often disagree. In this case, I understand his concern, but I think you should do what makes you happy. If you don't, you will regret it later.'

Remus looked upset now, and Harry tried to distract him. 'So, what's my surprise?'

'Good point.' He forced a smile. 'It's outside. Do you mind taking a walk?'

'Of course not.'

They walked towards Hagrid's hut. Harry couldn't see anything that could possibly constitute a surprise, but Lupin had never given Harry any reason to doubt him.

Remus walked over to the fence surrounding the pumpkin patch, and felt in the air for something. He turned to Harry, as if something had suddenly occurred to him. 'You can keep a secret, can't you, Harry?'

'Umm...sure? Is it a bad secret?'

'Not at all,' Lupin reassured him. 'But it might be a little bit illegal.' He found whatever he was looking for, and pressed at it.

Harry took a sharp breath. It was a shiny black motorcycle. It was obviously old, but well looked after. 'Where did you get it?' he asked.

'It was Sirius's, a long time ago. Then Hagrid had it for a while. He left it with me after Sirius was arrested. It's yours now.'

'Mine?'

'Sirius would have wanted you to have it. And I think, I hope anyway, that you're old enough now not to do yourself any damage with it.'

'Remus...I mean, I'd love it, but do you not think someone would see my riding it about the grounds?'

'Hmm? Oh, I forgot the best bit! Get on. It's okay - I'll get on behind you. I've ridden it with Sirius enough times to know how it works.'

Harry got on, and Lupin reached to the ground for a helmet. He placed it on Harry's head, and sat behind him holding the handlebars. The bike seemed bigger now than it had when it was just Harry. Lupin turned the key and the bike revved silently. When he squeezed the accelerator, it jumped into the air. Harry couldn't help giving a small yelp.

Lupin laughed. 'Like it?'

Harry always liked being in the air. Even Buckbeak had grown on him. And this, while not as smooth as a broomstick, had an appeal all of its own. He could see Sirius riding this thing. His dangerous, energetic Godfather must have adored this when he was young. He superimposed the picture of Sirius at his parents' wedding onto this. That was what he must have looked like. Grinning at the knowledge that he was breaking the law. This picture had nothing to do with anything that was to happen later, the arrest, his depression, or his death, and Harry loved it for that.

'How does it work?' he asked Remus.

'Accelerator. Brake. Invisibility. Sirius got rid of all of the bits he didn't think were important. Want to try it?'

'Now?'

'If you want. It handles like a broomstick, all you have to do is aim it in the right direction. And I put Merlin knows how many safety charms on it. If you manage to crash it, I'll be very impressed.'

'So why have I got a helmet on?'

'Because you can still fall off. Although even that should be difficult.'

'So...this is the accelerator?' He pointed.

'That's right. Don't hit it too hard.' Remus relinquished the controls to Harry, who revelled in the potential jeopardy he was putting himself in. They spent the next hour learning how to use his weight to steer it (it wasn't as instantly sensitive as his Firebolt) and the right balance of accelerator and brake (it took longer to start and longer to stop). When they landed with a slight bump, Harry patted the engine gently as he got off.

He looked over at Remus, eyes shining, to see that his adopted Godfather had tears streaming down his cheeks. 'Remus?'

'It's nothing, Harry. Don't worry.'

'Did you fly with him a lot?'

'All the time. The last few months of our seventh year I was in the air so often it felt strange walking about on the ground. We flew everywhere. I think...Harry, you can't remember, of course, but it was so strange then. Everything became serious all of a sudden. James had finally grown up, convinced your mother to marry him even then I think. And we knew, or at least I knew, that things were going to get worse before they got better. So we spent those last months pretending that they weren't. We pretended that there wasn't any danger, that we were going to able to go flying off into the night together every night for the rest of our lives. Or maybe we just pretended that we pretended that. Maybe we just wanted to play at being immortal because we knew we didn't have long left.'

'You're still here,' Harry said firmly.

'I know. The last of the Marauders. Peter doesn't count anymore.'

'Remus...'

'Listen to me, burdening you with all this!' he made himself say it cheerfully. 'It doesn't matter. I just wanted you to have it. Sirius would love the idea of you using it.'

Harry nodded. 'Thanks, I love it.'

'You're welcome. Come on, I should probably get you back inside before anyone worries about you. I'll come back and put the bike in Hagrid's lean-to. I'll make it invisible, but Hagrid knows it's there, so he won't be surprised. Okay?'

They walked back together in silence. At the bottom of the main staircase they stopped. 'How are you getting back?' Harry asked.

'I'm using the Floo in the Defence Office, don't worry. You should get back now, Ron and Hermione will worry if you don't show up.'

Harry hesitated for a moment. Making his mind up, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms tightly round Remus. 'I miss him.'

'I know,' Remus whispered against the top of Harry's head. 'I do too. So much.'

* * *

It was a month later that Harry asked Draco to meet him at the front of the school one evening after dinner. Draco made his way outside as discretely as possible and found Harry, Hermione and Ron waiting for him. 'Well?' he asked.

'Apparently we're going out,' Ron answered. He was holding Harry's broom, and had the invisibility cloak over one arm.

Draco looked at it. 'Do I need a broom?'

'No. Just Ron, which is why he's borrowing mine. Hermione's sharing with him, because she would fall off.'

Hermione glared but didn't contradict him.

'I'm not sharing your broom,' Draco said.

'Not a problem.' Harry grinned and led the way to Hagrid's hut.

When he revealed the bike, Ron's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. 'Where did you get that!'

'Professor Lupin. It used to be Sirius's.'

'It flies?'

'Yup.'

'And he just let you have it?'

'Yup. So I thought we should take it out.'

'Harry...' Hermione began cautiously, 'we're really not meant to leave school grounds without a teacher.'

'I know.'

'So do you really think we should..?'

'Yes. Because we're doing exams in two weeks, and it's Draco's birthday in three, and I think we should celebrate before we need to be grown-ups.'

'How do you know when my birthday is?'

'Magic,' Harry shot back. His eyes were reckless, but Hermione was never particularly good at refusing Harry when she thought he needed protection. Draco had developed a similar problem, and Ron had been a lost cause as soon as he had seen the motorbike.

'Where are we going?' Hermione sighed.

Harry mounted the motorbike. 'The movies.'

'Where!' she asked incredulously.

'I found a cinema that opens late. They show old movies. And if these two haven't seen James Bond I bet they've never seen Star Wars.'

'This is mad, Harry.'

'I'm seventeen. Let me behave like it for once,' he pleaded.

She sighed again. 'You know _exactly_ where you're going?'

'I promise.'

'You have money?'

'Yes.'

'We'll come back straight after?'

'Well I was thinking about taking them to a genuine muggle pub...kidding, Hermione, honest!'

'Hmmm...I don't suppose I have much choice then. Ron? The broom?'

Ron got on his broom and allowed Hermione to get on in front of him.

Harry looked over at Draco pointedly. With a long-suffering sigh, the blond got on the bike behind Harry. 'If you crash this thing I will kill you, have no doubts about this.'

'Trust me,' Harry shouted back as they took off, a wild smile on his face.

'So,' Ron called across, 'what's Star Wars?'

* * *

'_That_,' Ron was loudly proclaiming, 'was wicked.'

After the difficulty of finding somewhere it was safe to leave an enchanted motorbike, preventing Ron and Draco from insulting the muggle money, and dodging the curious looks of the teenager taking tickets at the two boys gawking at the trailers showing on the cinema's huge screen, they had a good night.

Ron and Draco had to be physically restrained from talking loudly during the film's opening, but by the end they had been watching the film in stunned silence.

Draco had sneered afterwards of course at "these muggle ideas of magic" and "the stupidity of building a giant space ship that can be taken down by one boy in a little one" but Harry had felt him jump, and seen the sudden smile when Han came to Luke's rescue. Harry had seen the film before, not in the cinema of course, but he had snuck down to watch the video one night after the Dursley's had done to bed. It was better when he could have the sound loud enough to hear it properly, and on a widescreen, but he knew it well enough to be watching Ron and Draco. Ron had been entranced by the whole experience, and was still talking when they left the screen, after even the last of the credits had stopped rolling. Hermione loved him enough for this enthusiasm that she relented and let Harry take them into the café-bar.

They couldn't drink of course, but he had bought them all coffee, and let Ron's excited babbling wash over him as he soaked this in. It seemed to take much less time to fly back. He kissed Draco goodnight at Hagrid's, letting the others go in first. Harry stood by the bike in silence. He wasn't sure if Remus had meant to encourage him to do something like this. Perhaps he didn't realise that what he had said applied to them both. Sirius and Remus had gone flying together because they both knew that once school ended they were going out to join a battle that could kill them anytime. Harry didn't even have the luxury of that time. But tonight he had been to the cinema with his best friends, and his boyfriend had kissed him goodnight at the end of it. For tonight, anyway, there would be no regrets.

* * *

A/N: According to JKR, Draco's birthday is June 5th, and I was extremely grateful to her for releasing that before I dated this chapter.

**Fayet**: I'm only quick with the updates in this one because I was terrible with them past time! I decided after that one that I was never posting a WIP again, especially one with no plan...Glad I'm surprising you.

**wwwendy: **Drawing it out definitely helped - I had little arrows and symbols all over the page, and it was pretty useful when it came to writing it.

Thanks to **HecateDeMort**, **Cithara** and **Love Alchemist** for reviews!


	17. Chapter 17

A/N 1: Sorry there was no update yesterday - my PC refused to connect to the internet, so I couldn't post. So two chapters today. Would everyone rather I post the last three tomorrow, so there's more time between the end and HBP? Thoughts in reviews if you care!

* * *

'Harry? Are you okay?'

'Hmmm...What? I'm fine, Hermione.'

'Are you sure? You look very tired.'

'I'm fine, will you leave me alone!'

'Harry...'

'I'm sorry, Hermione,' he responded quickly.

'Don't worry about it ... the exams have everyone stressed.'

* * *

Draco grasped Harry's shoulders. 'What's wrong? Your eyes are...'

Harry pulled away violently. 'What's up with everyone? I'm fine!'

Draco was silent.

Harry leant forward and wound his arms around Draco's waist, 'I'm sorry. Okay?

Draco was confused, but answered as reassuringly as possible, 'Make it up to me.'

* * *

'Madam Pomfrey?'

'Mr Potter, what have you done now?'

'I was wondering if I could have something for a headache.'

'Is this really necessary, Mr Potter? Exam headaches normally vanish on their own when the exams do. And we are rather low on supplies after...'

'It's okay, I was just wondering.'

'If it's serious...'

'Don't worry about it,' he replied, already out of the door.

* * *

Harry sat on his bed, curtains closed against the harsh daylight. He rubbed desperately at his forehead. 'Please, not again.'

* * *

They were in Transfiguration, just him and Hermione. Professor McGonagall asked again. 'Mr Potter, the chair. Into a table? Have you listened to a word I've said?'

'What?'

'Mr Potter! Your NEWTs are in less than a week! This level of transfiguration will be vital for your exams, and you are showing no interest whatsoever.'

'What difference does it make?' he asked.

Professor McGonagall was stunned. 'What _difference_ does it make?' she asked incredulously. 'You want to gain entry into Auror training, do you not? Their intake programme requires an Outstanding grade in Transfiguration, one which you are entirely capable of achieving. Not that this lesson would give anyone any such indication.'

'None of it's important now.'

'This is the most important thing you will do all year, Mr Potter.' She stopped, and then asked gently, 'Harry, what's wrong with your eyes?'

Harry stood up. He didn't raise his wand, or even say a word, but magic crackled around him. Hermione was the only person in the room who didn't make an involuntary move away. Harry looked at his Professor. 'Not that it's going to matter, but...'

Later on, students would swear that the room shook, no matter how much Hermione assured them that it was impossible. Every chair in the room turned into a table with one crack, but the students perching on them were unharmed. The fly hovering at the window became a bluebird. Quills, inkpots, and pages all jumped from the desks (now plant pots and easels and sundials) and became all manner of things. Not a single transfiguration was the same. Harry looked around himself expressionlessly. 'Happy now?' His face transformed from the eerie calm into a kind of horror. He ran out of the room.

By the time the Headmistress had calmed herself and ran to the door, calling Harry's name, he was nowhere to be seen. 'Class dismissed,' she called over her shoulder, disappearing down the corridor.

* * *

'Harry?' Hermione clutched the galleon as she walked, calling Harry's name in her head and into the air.

There was no response.

'Ron?' she tried.

'_Hermione? I'm in class.'_

'Harry's disappeared. He had...I don't know what happened to him in class. He yelled at Professor McGonagall, and then transfigured everything, and then he looked scared and ran out, and Ron...'

'_Hermione, breathe. We'll sort it out.'_

'Where are you?'

'_On my way to the Common Room. Where are you?'_

'Just left the dormitories. What did you tell your professor?'

'_I'll sort that out later.'

* * *

_

'Severus?' The voice came from his doorway, but the owner of it shouldn't have been in the school.

Snape turned around. 'Lupin. I have a class.' He nodded towards the curious students.

'I...'

He looked at Remus properly now. The sandy hair was matted with sweat, and he was breathing deeply. 'What is it?'

Remus stepped towards him and whispered urgently, 'The Ministry's under attack. I came to ask for help. But I met Minerva when I came in, and she says that Harry's missing?'

'He's what!'

'She said he had an episode in her class and ran out, she can't find him. She didn't tell you?'

'No,' he answered in clipped tones, 'she did not.' He turned around to the sixth year class behind him. 'Clean out your cauldrons properly before you leave. Anyone taking advantage of my absence will be extremely sorry they did so.' He swept out, Remus following quickly behind.

'It was only ten minutes ago, Severus,' Lupin explained.

'Ten minutes in which I could have been looking. Remus, do you any idea how much danger he's capable of getting into in ten minutes?'

'I have some idea,' he replied.

Snape wasn't even paying attention. He was searching their mind-link. 'I can see him. What's he doing there?'

'Where is he?'

'Heading down towards the forest. Or Hagrid's.'

'Oh...'

'What did you do?'

* * *

Harry was moving as quickly as he could. He needed to be away from the school before he hurt someone. Something was wrong. There was something in his head. Or some_one_ in his head.

Maybe it was the blood. There was a reason it was dangerous. And he had three blood-bonds now. One was to the DA, which of course was technically fifty bonds. One was to Voldemort – blood taken to create his new body. And one, of course, was to his mother. Perhaps he should have told them that, explained properly that his blood was already tied to two people and that might not be safe. But that would mean explaining the whole thing. Explaining that his mother's death created a haven for him with his relatives would mean explaining why he needed that as a reason to go home to them. Why he sometimes worried that it would stop working because Hogwarts was so much more of a home than Privet Drive could ever be. And he really didn't want to do that. Because his friends knew about locked rooms, but not spider-infested cupboards. They knew that he didn't quite get enough to eat, but not that it was near starvation. Because admitting those things would mean conceding that it wasn't just a bad childhood, it was abuse. And he really didn't need another tragedy added to his life story. So when he was explaining that blood magic could keep you safe as well, he hadn't mentioned that he was the perfect example of this. In retrospect that might have been unwise.

Snape was in his head. He had forgotten to fix that. He had closed his mind as much as he could, but Snape and Draco could always get around that. He closed his eyes and threw Severus out.

It was too late. Draco was already there, with Hermione and Ron close behind. 'Harry.'

He could feel the thing in his head, screaming for vengeance and bloodshed. Though he couldn't see it, his green eyes were shining red. He rebelled. No. Not them.

* * *

'Explain this to me again, Remus.'

'I gave Harry Sirius's motorbike.'

'Again.'

'I gave Harry Sirius's motorbike,' Remus patiently repeated.

'Understand that when I ask you this, it isn't because I am in any way concerned with your personal wellbeing, but did you fall and strike your head on something?'

'Severus, I thought he would be able to...' Remus never got to explain what it was that he had thought. Voices high and young and terrified were screaming.

'Harry!'

Snape took off running.

By the time they had reached the children, the yelling had stopped, and retreated to a shocked hush.

Draco knelt by Harry's side. He looked up at Snape pleadingly. Fix him.

Severus dropped down to look at Harry. His face was deathly white, the only splash of colour on his head the distinctive scar. He reached for Harry in his head but could feel nothing. 'What did you do?' Snape demanded sharply.

'We didn't do anything!' Ron protested. 'Draco said he was down here. We came down to see what was wrong, he looked at us, his eyes went weird, and then he just collapsed.'

'What do you mean about his eyes?'

Draco looked at his Professor, fear in his own eyes. 'They were red.'

'You mean?'

'Just like that.'

'What did you do?' he asked again. 'In the past weeks, what have you done differently?'

Hermione put her hand to her mouth. Scared, but knowing this could be the difference, she explained to Snape everything that had went on in the past month. When she came to the blood magic, she flinched at his glare, but continued. She finished the story on his strange behaviour in McGonagall's class, flight from the room, and fainting at their feet.

Snape spoke quickly, angrily, even as he reached for Harry. 'There is a reason those books are in the restricted section, Ms Granger. When I gave you permission to take books from there, I had no idea you were capable of this level of foolishness.'

'Wait a minute!' Ron said in her defence. 'This was Harry's idea, not Hermione's. She only agreed after Dumbledore got killed.'

'And after Harry made his little speech?' Snape asked.

'Yes,' Hermione answered.

'For someone who claims not to be a leader he can be as manipulative as Albus.'

'That isn't true!' Hermione cried. 'He didn't ask again after that. I decided that he was right, and we did it for him. He isn't like that.'

Snape sighed. 'I know that. I'd imagine that's why he was trying to leave the grounds. His power got away from him in transfiguration, yes? He felt Voldemort in his head, so decided to go somewhere he can't hurt people.'

'Voldemort was in his head?' Remus asked in shock.

'Voldemort used Harry's blood to revive himself. Harry then opened himself to fifty blood-bonds. What's one more person trying to get in? You gave Voldemort a tremendous gift – a new way to get into Harry's head. Presumably Harry realised this and tried to get away, you got there before he could manage it, so he stopped it.

'What?'

'His blood,' Snape answered. He was leaning over Harry, had been from the moment he had seen the bloodless lips. His long fingers were wrapped around the slim wrists. He placed his thumbs on the veins, whispering orders. Severus wasn't trained in medical spells, all he could do was force his magic into Harry until he could convince the boy to do it himself. He tried to get into Harry's head, but was slammed out.

He tried again, coaxing Harry to let him in.  
'_Wake up' he ordered. 'No one was hurt. Come back.'_

Harry's blood started pumping again, but his eyes remained closed.


	18. Chapter 18

Harry was lying in a bed in the hospital wing. His eyes were still closed, and his pulse was shallow. He gave no signs of waking, but a soft incantation of names, barely audible unless you were right beside him. 'Ron. Hermione. Padfoot. Headmaster. Remus.'

Remus was sitting with him. The children had ran up to the dormitories to see if they could find anything Harry might have left around that would give them a clue how to wake him up. Severus had transported a cauldron from his room, and was stirring at a potion. He had more faith in this, or in Harry finding his own way out, than the children finding something of use, but they had needed something to do.

Ron, Hermione and Draco burst into the hospital wing. Draco forced a piece of paper into Snape's hand

'Look at this.'

Severus took it, distractedly, but continued to stir the potion one-handed.

'_Look_ at it!'

'I am. Do calm down. What am I looking at?'

'Why does he think he's going to die?'

'What?' Now they had Severus' attention.

'_Why_ does Harry think he's going to die?'

'Why do you believe he feels that?'

'This is a will, Professor! A list of names and things he owes people.'

'He's fighting a war, many people have made arrangements. I certainly have ... Albus did.'

'This is different,' Hermione explained. 'It's not _things_, or money.'

'It's debts,' Ron finished. 'Why does he think he's not going to make it?'

'He hasn't told you?'

Hermione and Ron shook their heads. Draco shot back angrily, 'No. he hasn't. _What is it_?'

'I'd thank you to remember that I am still your Professor, _Mr_ Malfoy.'

'Have you even looked at the list?'

Severus looked down. The parchment was folded and re-folded, as if it had been opened many times to add entries. It was, not coded, but almost unintelligible all the same. The letters and occasional word obviously meant something to Harry, but Severus could see no immediate pattern. Until he caught sight of his own initials.

_  
__AD  
__SB  
CD  
__J+LP  
__RL – job. SB  
__DM – DE. DA  
__SS – MWPP. Pensieve.  
__HG – Since 1stYr. Head Girl. DA. MoM.  
__NL/LL – DA MoM  
__RW – Since 1stYr. DA. MoM  
__GW – CoS. DA MoM  
__D.A.  
_

'Do you know what all of this means?' Snape asked.

'We have almost all the initials. Not necessarily what they mean,' Hermione said.

'This isn't mine to tell,' Snape murmured.

'Well Harry can't exactly tell us,' Draco snapped.

'Draco!' Remus called, now watching them in concern.

Severus sighed. What else could he do? He began the story, 'In the Ministry of Magic last year, Voldemort was looking for a prophecy, yes?'

'It broke,' Hermione answered.

'Correct. However, the prophecy in question was given personally to Dumbledore. At the end of your fifth year he informed Mr Potter what the prophecy said.'

'Prophecy's aren't necessarily accu...' Hermione began.

'This was a genuine prophecy,' Snape broke in. 'And it said, effectively, that Harry and Voldemort could not coexist. One would kill the other.'

He had said this so calmly that it took them a moment to absorb it. 'What!' Ron asked.

'Harry has the power to defeat Voldemort,' Snape summarised

Hermione understood now. 'He thinks he's going to die doing it. This is why he's been so strange all year.'

'All the DA stuff,' Ron added.

'He's been asking me about his parents,' Remus put in. 'And Sirius. As if he needed to know everything immediately.'

'It isn't just this year,' Draco realised. He addressed Severus, 'He wrote to you at the end of fifth year, right?'

'Yes.'

'You never thought that was strange? That he apologised to you? Or that he was suddenly trying to fix the house divide?' Draco was building to a crescendo. 'That he was friends with me out of the blue? That he decided, for no reason, that we all should go out on a _date_?'

'Draco, you can't seriously think that he's only going out with you to keep you on the right side?' Ron asked in disbelief.

'We hated each other for five years. He trusted me as soon as Professor Snape said it was fine. I was horrible to him. And then he's "in love with me". Why else do you think?'

* * *

'Ron. Hermione. Padfoot. Headmaster. Remus.' 

'You should leave to get some sleep,' Snape told Draco. 'Everyone else has left.'

'You haven't.'

'I am staying to watch his heart rate. You are just watching him.'

'He didn't leave me when I was lying here. Hermione told me.'

'And every one of us informed him that it was foolish.'

'He still did it though.'

'He's unconscious, he doesn't know that you are here. I can call you as soon as he shows signs of waking up. He won't know that you weren't here.'

'I don't think...' Draco said uncertainly, 'I don't think that that's the point.'

'That's a very Gryffindor thing to say. He appears to be a bad influence on you.'

'Maybe that was what he was trying to do,' Draco whispered. He wrapped his fingers in the edges of Harry's quilt.

'Stop that,' Snape instructed, sharply. Draco stopped fiddling with the edges of the quilt. 'Not that.'

'What then?'

'Your bout of maudlin self-pity.'

'Professor...'

'This is why I thought this was a bad idea.' Draco looked at his Professor for an elaboration. 'It has nothing to do with ... affection.' Severus sounded uneasy even with that word but it needed to be said, 'Consider by which name he's calling Black.'

'I don't understand.'

'Don't be so close-minded.' Draco watched him, dumbly. 'Draco, that was not an insult, it was a suggestion. Very soon it will be an instruction, and then, yes, it may be an insult.'

Draco suddenly understood. He closed his eyes, blocking out the image of Harry's lips feverishly muttering names that weren't his.

_Opening his mind to Harry's for the first time since their connection had been slammed shut with a scream, he heard nothing, and then everything. It was a cacophony of names and entreaties, yet still he heard nothing that resembled his own. He caught one – Padfoot. Not Sirius. Not close enough yet. He ignored everything but the slender thread that bound the two of them together. Drowned out all the noise that Harry had thrown into the foreground to protect them, even in his half-conscious state. _

'_Sirius. Ron. Hermione. Remus.'_

'_Professor'_

'_Draco.' _

'_Draco.'_

_The connection between them was ablaze again. Gryffindor fire, Draco thought wryly. _

'_Dragon-fire,' came the teasing answer. 'Love you. I knew you'd find me. Then: 'Though it took you long enough.'_

_Not even dignifying that with a response, Draco dragged Harry back to consciousness.  
_

Back in the real world Harry's joking smile was gone. 'It's tonight.'

'What is?' Professor Snape gave half his attention to the words and the other to ascertaining whether all of Harry had came back. Eyes clear, speech not slurred.

'He wanted me out of it. The Ministry attack's just a diversion. They're attacking Hogwarts tonight.'

* * *

A/N 2: Thanks to all the reviews on the last few chapters. I had a horribly long day at work (I have a summer office job in the exciting world of data entry...), and you guys cheered me right up! (Oh, and I know what all the bits on the list mean if anyone wants it) 

**WritersPassion25: **Lovely review, thank you so much! I'm sorry if the chapters aren't long enough, but most of me's just pleased that you want them longer. Kudos on reading everything all at once too. I've never done it, so I had no idea it would take 3 hours!

**Serpent of Light: **I've a mature writing style -/giggles in most immature way/-. Glad you liked the Star Wars bit. I was thinking for ages what they could go and see that was in cinemas when Harry should be in 7th year, and then it was so obvious! (I love Star Wars too.)

**Karasu Yurei: **That is my favourite mental-picture, ever, from a review. Glad both you and your roommate think its funny!

And thanks to **Cithara**, **writingismything**, **angel of chaos**, **Rachy** and **crystal.**


	19. Chapter 19

This is unbetaed in the worst way. Like not even properly proofread by me. But it is the end. The last three chapters. Read and enjoy. See you all at the end

* * *

Remus and Severus both reached for their wands.

'Kingsley?' Lupin demanded into it.

'Minerva?' Snape tried.

There was a heart-stopping pause. The voice, when it came, was not much more reassuring. 'Sev...s. Trapped...ministry. The floo ... sabotage.'

'Minerva, focus. And why, of all times, did you choose to go to the Ministry tonight?'

'Do be quiet, Severus,' she snapped back, clearly this time. 'They were under attack. I offered assistance. Now, however, we have a problem.'

'You can't get out.'

'_I _can get out. You can't. Hogwarts has been cut off from the Floo network.'

'What?'

'The attack on the Ministry has been subdued. We're rounding up the stragglers now. But when I tried to Floo back to check that everything was well here. The Floo wouldn't connect, so I tried for Hogsmeade but...'

'You couldn't.'

'And there's an anti-apparition ward around the village. It won't hold long, but for now...'

'This plan has been a long time in the making.'

'Exactly. Severus, is everything alright there?'

'Mr Potter was recovered, he's well. However, there is one slight concern.'

'What is it?'

'He believes Voldemort is going to attack Hogwarts tonight.'

Another long pause. 'You believe him?' McGonagall asked, as calmly possible.

'I do,' Severus stated plainly.

'Can we get the children away?'

Severus looked at Harry, who shook his head. Severus nodded shortly at him. 'Harry says no.'

The Headmistress took a deep breath. 'Then ... Good luck, Severus. Look after the children. I'll be there as soon as I can.'

'That's it?' he asked in disbelief. 'No instructions on how best to do it?'

'Albus put you in charge of the Order, and made you the Deputy Headmaster, Severus. He knew what he was doing. I wish I was in the school as well, but if I can't, then there's no one else I would rather be there instead. You know what to do.'

'Of course I know what to do, woman!' Severus shot back, but he looked more than a little reassured.

'I know. We'll bring help as soon as we can. Until then.'

'Until then,' Severus repeated. He lowered his wand and turned to the children. 'Well?'

'What?' Harry asked.

'Voldemort is coming here, with perhaps twenty death eaters, plus Dementors. Help will not be here until it's too late. What do you think we should do?'

'You're asking me?'

'You, Mr Potter, are the one with the army. Which you announced the existence of rather publicly if you remember.'

'I know that,' Harry answered with a slight smile. 'I meant why me? Ron and Draco do the tactics.'

'You'll need to talk to them,' Ron said. 'They listen to you more than me or Draco.'

'What do I say?'

'Decide soon,' Snape said. When he next spoke, his voice was magically amplified around the school. 'Proceed to the Great Hall.'

* * *

Snape had disappeared to confer with the other Professors. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco were in a nervous huddle at the end of the Gryffindor table by the High Table. The other DA members came to stand with them, pelting the four with questions about what was going on.

Harry would only say one thing. 'When everyone else is told to go, you stay.'

Snape arrived with the other Professors in tow. There was muttering even before he spoke. The Headmistress being absent was cause enough for concern.

Snape came to stand in front of the High Table. He didn't mince words. 'Voldemort is making his way towards the school. We estimate that he will arrive within the next ninety minutes. Unfortunately, the school has been cut off from the Floo Network, so we must be ready to hold out here until help can arrive. Everyone, after we have all finished speaking, should make their way to their common room. These rooms are designed to hold up to an attack, even more so than the school building itself. Do _not _leave these rooms. The people protecting you need to know that you are safe. I assume none of you wishes to be the reason why someone else dies. So stay where you are told, and don't let anyone have to come and rescue you.' If there was one thing Snape was good at it, it was commanding silence. No one said a word. Snape looked down at the group at the front. 'Mr Potter, Ms Bones? Do you have anything you wish to add?'

Harry looked at Susan, who shook her head quickly. Harry stepped up to the platform. 'First off, does anyone want to ask anything?'

One third year nervously raised a hand. 'Is Professor McGonagall okay?'

'She's fine. She was in the Ministry when the Floo was cut off. I'm sure she's trying to get here as fast as she can. For now, we need to stick together, and look after each other.

We're putting some DA members in each common room to make sure that you're not unprotected. There'll be some traps set outside, so please don't leave until you're told it's safe. Don't open the door unless the person asking is Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, or Ron Weasley. Ron has a way of talking to the DA, so the people staying in the rooms will know whether or not it's him. Any more questions?'

They mutely shook their heads.

'Alright then,' Harry answered. 'Then I guess this is it. Tonight we win this war, I promise you that. Voldemort is scared – that's why he cut us off. He wanted to make sure we couldn't call our friends to help us, and even without them, he doesn't know if he can win. He didn't know if he could beat a bunch of kids, so he snuck up on us, and made sure we couldn't run away. But we don't want to run. We're going to fight. You are the last line of defence. Stay alert, keep your wands out, and look after each other.' Harry looked quickly towards Snape.

His voice was softer than it ever had been. 'Go to your Common Rooms.'

They left quickly, hanging on to each other, as if Harry's words to look after each other meant not to let each other get lost on the way back.

Harry looked at the DA. 'Anyone younger than fifth year, go the common rooms.' The younger members protested loudly, and he silenced them with a wave. 'No arguing. I need DA people in the Common Rooms, and I'm not putting thirteen year olds against Voldemort.'

'So what have we been training for?'

'So that if someone gets past one of us, I know that there's someone in the Common Rooms who knows what to do. I don't want to worry that while I'm fighting Voldemort, Bellatrix Lestrange is killing first years.' That silenced them. 'I need one older student from each house to go back as well. Any volunteers?' As expected, no one moved. 'Please?'

'I'll go,' Daphne offered.

'Are you sure?'

She smiled. 'It won't be Draco, Theodore hates children, and Blaise is better at hexes. I'll set the traps in front of the dungeon entrances. Anyone who gets past those is going to be too battered to put up much of a fight.'

Harry hugged her quickly. 'Thanks.'

'No problem.'

Zacharias Smith stepped forward next. 'I'll look after Hufflepuff.'

Dean and Padma offered to take care of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Harry gave them final instructions, and they left.

Severus walked up behind Harry. 'The Professors will go out first. Harry, don't argue. I promise you, you will get to fight. We won't hold them all off. But I'd like to at least pay lip service to the notion that we should be able to protect you. Command your troops, I will see you afterwards.' Snape walked to the door, leading the other professors behind him.

Harry stopped him. 'Professor?'

'Yes?'

'Good luck.' Snape nodded, gave him one last scrutinising look, and left.

Harry turned to the rest of the DA. 'Okay then. This is it. A few simple rules. If someone gets hurt ...' he stopped. 'I'm not very good at this, am I? If someone gets hit, do what you think is best. I can't ask you to leave them, because I can't ask you to do something I couldn't do.' He looked at Draco, at Ron and Hermione. 'Don't take unnecessary risks, but I know you all, I know you won't leave each other out there. And that's the difference between us and them. We're a team, they're just a mob. We're going to win for a very simple reason. We're in the right. And we're together. And they are none of those things, and so we will triumph over them.' He waited for that to sink in. 'Now, the plan.'

* * *

'So,' Harry checked off. 'Ron's in the Entrance Hall. Neville's group's gone towards the forest. 'Seamus...'

'Harry!' Draco protested. 'Everyone knows what they're doing. Ron has your map, he can _see_ what everyone's doing. All we have to do is wait for them to set the traps outside your common room, and we're ready.'

'Do you think they're done yet?'

'I think maybe they're taking advantage of the time alone...'

'Draco,' Harry sighed. 'We're just around the corner from them. I think we'd hear something.'

'Maybe they're doing something very quietly.' A wicked smile twisted on his face. '_We _could do something very quietly...'

'We haven't done _anything_ yet. Do you really think this is the best time to start?'

'I think it's a perfect time.' Draco's hands wound their way under Harry's robes. He could feel Draco's fingers splayed against the bare skin of his back. Everywhere they touched felt warm. Harry knelt his forehead to Draco's. 'Later.'

'That's one reason to come through then.'

Harry could hear Hermione and Ron coming back. He smiled in amusement. 'Do I need to say it first? I love you. No matter what happens.'

'Just for that, Harry, I'm not going to say it back. Don't act like you won't come through this like everything else. "Boy-who-lived" remember? You wouldn't want to make all those nice people liars, would you? Besides, you have to come back to prove that this isn't just part of your Slytherin reform programme.'

Harry was confused, 'Why would you think...?'

'I'll explain later. Now you have three reasons to come back.' They met in the middle this time. The desperation of the kiss belied the joking words.

When Hermione and Ron appeared, Harry almost opened his mouth to apologise. But Hermione's hair was tousled, and Ron was flushed, so he decided not to bother.

Draco smirked. 'Just remember that the battle's that way, Weasley,' he said, pointing out the castle's doors as they reached them. 'Not in Hermione's eyes.'

'Just remember that Voldemort isn't hidden up Harry's shirt, Malfoy,' Ron shot back.

'Boys,' Hermione muttered.

'How many times a day, on average, do you say that?' Ron asked curiously.

Harry didn't want this moment broken. But he had been in Severus's head for a good ten seconds now. 'They're here.'

Hermione pulled Harry and Draco close. 'Be careful.'

Ron hugged Harry quickly, and then (much to his shock) Draco. 'Good luck.'

'You too,' Draco answered.

'Just this last time,' Harry reminded them. They nodded, and with one last look, Harry and Draco walked away from them.

As they reached the door, Harry heard the crash. He turned to Draco. 'Ready?'

'Whenever you are.'


	20. Chapter 20

It was chaos. Harry had continual reports coming from Ron, and as far as he knew, no one could tell who was winning. He and Draco were doing their fair share of immobilisations, but he had already had to revive some of his own. He had seen others being dragged to safety while their friends provided cover fire.

'Harry?' Draco, who hadn't left his side, was calling him.

'Yeah?'

'Pettigrew.'

Harry wheeled around. Peter Pettigrew, who had been pointing a wand at him, was now cowering at his feet.'

'Please. Your father...'

'My father would have no qualms about killing you. I don't have many either.' The man in front of him shook like a child and cried a stream of entreaties. Harry continued, 'Sirius definitely wouldn't. But I think he would like for people to know he didn't betray my mum and dad. You can't confess if you're dead. Incarcerous!' Ropes wound themselves tightly around Pettigrew. Harry threw a shield up around him. He wouldn't risk any other Death Eater trying to hide the evidence.

* * *

'Severus!' Remus cried. 'They got past Filius's group. Bellatrix and her team.'

Snape let loose a string of curses that would have impressed many of his pupils. 'Towards the school?'

'Yes.'

'I'll have to warn them.'

* * *

'Now, now, now, Potter. You wouldn't want to kill your _boyfriend's _father, would you?' Lucius Malfoy sneered over the word boyfriend like it tasted rotten. 'I could be your father-in-law after all. What _would_ Draco say if you killed me?'

Draco's voice came from behind them. 'He'd say "you should have let me do it".'

'You don't mean that, Draco.'

Draco sighed. 'No, I don't. But I want to, which I imagine counts for something. Stupefy!' Lucius apparently hadn't even been expecting that from his son, because he dropped like a stone. Harry called the same ropes and shield as before.

Harry was pulled into Snape's head. When he came back to himself, he looked at Draco. 'Snape says they've got near the school. Ron's going to need help.'

'What do you mean?'

'Voldemort's that way.' He inclined his head. 'I can feel it. And he'll kill you if you come with me. At least I'll get a few minutes taunting. This won't end until I face him.'

'You want me to go to Ron,' Draco stated.

'Yes.'

'Fine. But if you don't come back, don't think I won't find some way of punishing you for it.'

'I'll remember that.' He clutched the galleon. 'Ron?'

'_Harry?'_

'They're through. I'm sending Draco your direction.'

'_Don't. Terry's group's in trouble. By the greenhouses. They could use the help.'_

'How are we doing?'

'_Nearly time for a miracle?'_

'I'm on it. Good luck.'

'_You too.'_

Harry looked at Draco. 'Okay?'

'Okay.'

* * *

Minerva McGonagall sat in front of the Floos at the Ministry office. 'Fix it!'

'Professor, I'm sorry, I can't figure out...'

She looked around the room. Arthur Weasley was there. And he wasn't the only one in the Ministry with Hogwarts children or siblings. They focussed angrily on the unfortunate Floo operator. 'My children could be _dying_ while we wait here. Fix it _now._'

* * *

Severus had been fighting now for what seemed like hours, trying to make his way to Ron and Hermione in the entrance hall.

'Severus?' Lupin called.

'What?'

'Look.'

He turned to observe, at the edges of the grounds,a slight dark-haired figure winding its way towards the top. Towards a silhouette clouded in smoke.

'Is there anything we could...?' Remus asked.

'No.'

* * *

'Hermione!' Ron screamed. Just like in practice, she had seen the attacker coming from behind. Just like in practice, she had caught it long before he did, absorbed in battle strategy as he was. Unlike in practice, she wasn't in time to stop the hex. She was, however, in time to get between it and Ron. She fell, and by the time it took Ron the few seconds to dispatch the Death Eater and reach her, she was lying in a pool of blood. 'No,' he whispered.

* * *

Harry had reached Voldemort.

'Thissss is what you have taught them, Potter? Conjuring tricks? Light shows and stunning spells and hexes any three year old wizard should know? Dumbledore had the same failing. Too afraid of real power to try and grasp it. This is why we will triumph. You fear me because you know I will not hesitate to kill you. And you are _nothing_ to me, because you will.'

Harry stood there, unmoved, 'Then do it.'

The two spells were shouted concurrently:

'Avada Kedavra.'

'Expelliarmus.'

Once again the two spells met, holding the wands together. This time, however, there was no imbalance. The bead of energy was held exactly between the wands, unmoving.

'Very impresssssive, Potter, but you overestimate yourself. Did you not think I had considered our little ... problem?'

Harry screamed. He placed a hand to the side of his head, clawing at it as if trying to bore through his skull. Voldemort's eyes were closed in a silent rapture. The killing curse moved closer to Harry.

* * *

On the other side of the grounds, Draco froze. Then he turned to his group. 'Terry, you're in charge.' Draco started running, paying only scant attention to where he was going.

_He half-closed his eyes, entering the shadowy mental world which bonded the two of them. Harry was disappearing, fading into the darkness. Draco flung himself forwards, chasing Harry into the black.

* * *

_

Severus's relief force had finally broken through to Ron and Hermione.

Severus leant against the wall heavily, eyes widening in horror. 'Draco, stop. It's too late, there's nothing you can do. Come _back._' He knelt down.

_Closing his eyes to the chaos in the castle, he threw a mental arm around each of his two boys, holding them fast._

'What's happening?' Ron yelled over the sounds of hexes.

'Harry's dying. Draco's trying to follow him,' Snape replied bluntly.

'Well stop it!' Ron fired back, refusing to believe for one second that Harry wouldn't make it.

'Mr Weasley,' Snape responded through gritted teeth, 'the only person to successfully repel the Avada Kedavra is Mr Potter. I am doing my best to hold Harry and Draco to this world, but I do not believe I have that much power left.'

Ron ignored the defeatist tone and focused on Snape's face. The effort he was putting into holding on was obvious. It might not just be Draco in danger of being pulled down.

* * *

_There was only blackness and dark mutterings. Harry could feel Draco and Snape trying to anchor him, but could take no comfort in it. Voldemort's insidious presence overwhelmed everything else. He was standing in front of the veil again and this time there was no one to pull him back._

The curse was now only a few inches from Harry's wand.

* * *

Severus opened his eyes and looked at Ron. 'I've lost Harry.'

'Does that mean...?' Ron asked.

'If Draco can't hold him.'

'You're holding Draco, right?'

He sighed, 'I'm doing all I can. But Draco will let go of me before he lets go of Harry. He's afraid I'm going to pull him out. And he isn't altogether wrong. If we can't save Harry...'

Hermione coughed weakly. Ron rushed to her side. 'You okay?'

'Blood.'

'Madam Pomfrey'll fix it right up. Don't worry.'

'No!' Her face was sickly pale and covered with ugly bruising, but Ron smiled briefly at the familiar look of exasperation. She continued, 'We're all tied to him and Draco. Blood magic.'

Ron cried out in triumph. He leant forward and captured Hermione's lips for the briefest of seconds. 'So how do we do it?'

'All we need to do is ask.'

'That's it?'

'As long as they mean it.'

Ron grasped his DA galleon and thought the request. Sitting between Hermione and Snape he closed his eyes to the destruction. Holding Hermione's hand, he pictured their pool of blood and poured his energy into it. 'Whatever you need, Harry.'

* * *

'Always.'

'Of course.'

'Not much left, but it's yours.'

'Sure, boss.'

'Take it. Good luck.'

'Didn't even need to ask.'

* * *

_The blackness melted away. Harry looked around in confusion. Instead of one tie, he was now bound safely by fifty, glowing with light. He could now hear Draco's mixed entreaties and admonishments. As he came back to himself, Snape found him again, whispering dire warnings if he did that again. And he could see, for the first time, the line binding him to Voldemort, warping all the others around him._

_He realised, with a sudden calm, that this was nothing to do with anger, or hatred, rather a simple understanding that the people he loved needed this person out of their world._

_He focussed on the connection between himself and Voldemort. It was so simple. He thought the words, 'Avada Kedavra.'_

_The voiceless command echoed in heads of the DA members on the field, and the Death Eaters felt the power. It was heard by Ron, Hermione and Severus in the entrance hall, and Draco, collapsed a foot away from Harry. _

_The world went black._


	21. Chapter 21

_They dreamt._

_Wise old men in half-moon glasses, telling them it wasn't time yet._

_A man with messy dark hair, and a woman with green eyes, bright with tears, smiling but pointing them somewhere else._

_A mother and father who had loved him, once-upon-a-time._

_A dark man, thin and worn, but grinning recklessly._

_Severus. Hermione. Ron. _

_Finally they dreamt of each other. _

They woke up quietly, without any alarm. Harry turned his head to his left, and smiled tiredly. 'Hi.'

'Hi,' Draco replied.

'Thanks.'

'I didn't do anything.'

'You held on.'

Their voices, although hardly raised, had attracted the attention of the room. 'Harry!'

He managed to focus on the room around him. It appeared as if most of the school had squeezed into the hospital bay. He saw Ron, Snape... he was counting off DA members. 'Where's Hermione?'

'Over here,' came a weak voice to his right.

He looked around. She was pale and ill looking, but obviously still there, and that was good enough. 'Are you okay?'

'I'm fine. Just got caught by a stray hex.'

'Hermione, you lost about forty pints of blood!' Ron protested.

Harry smiled. Then: 'How did we do?'

'We won,' Ron answered.

'I remember that bit. What about the people?'

'Lots of injuries. Hermione was the worst though.'

'No...?'

Hermione understood. She smiled more brightly that her injuries would make her seem capable of. 'No deaths.'

Harry looked at Draco, who blinked back in surprise. The blond composed himself, and smiled at Harry. 'I did promise after all. No more deaths.'

Harry still didn't understand. 'How did we...?'

'Good teachers,' she answered, looking at both Harry and the man hovering over him.

'Indeed,' Professor Snape drawled. 'Not that they are always heeded. How many times, Mr Potter, have I warned you not to run off on fools-errands?'

A new voice entered the conversation. 'Professor Snape, I do hope you aren't berating our young hero.'

'Minister,' Harry said in surprise.

She leant towards him, sweeping the hair out of his eyes affectionately. 'Harry. I'm so glad to see you awake. It seems we owe you a great debt.'

'I didn't do anything,' he said quickly. 'It was Ron, and Draco, and Hermione, and all the rest of the DA, and the Professors...'

'Oddly enough, the Wizarding world doesn't quite see it that way. It looks like you'll be receiving the Order of Merlin. First Class of course. And every trade in wizard Britain has agreed to take one of your DA members without NEWTs. The exams, therefore, are unnecessary.'

Harry heard a quiet moan and knew it was Hermione. 'I'm very grateful, Minister,' Harry said diplomatically. 'But it really wasn't me.'

'It appears that your friends disagree as well. Not one of them will take credit for the killing blow. You may just have to accept, Harry, that you are now the boy who killed Voldemort twice. If nothing else, it may help persuade the Wizengamot to accept the testimony of one Peter Pettigrew, corroborated by Harry Potter, and change the verdict on your Godfather.' She looked kindly at Harry, who was blinking back tears. 'And now, I must go, your friends have been very patient, and I'm sure they're desperate to see you. I'll come and see you again when you're feeling a bit better.'

Harry nodded politely at the Minister, but was a little relieved when she was gone. As it turned out, however, she was right about his friends. None of them would take any credit for what had happened.

Harry spent the better part of that day being alternately hugged for being alive, and argued at for trying to distribute the acclaim.

'Harry,' Remus explained affectionately. 'The battle can be a joint victory, but Voldemort was you, you're just going to have to accept it.' He hugged Harry tightly. 'I have to go to the Ministry again, but I'll be back soon.'

'Bye Remus.'

'We're going as well, dear,' Mrs Weasley said. She too hugged Harry, and led her children (all but Ron), out of the room. Ginny dashed back in and hugged him fiercely, then all but bounced out of the room.

'Is she...?' Harry asked.

'She's very happy you're okay,' Blaise explained. Standing, he waved his arms about. 'Okay, everyone out. Our hero needs rest.'

'Blaise!' Harry explained.

'Would you prefer saviour? Champion? Liberator?'

'None of them, please.'

'I know just the thing.' He hovered at the door. 'Get well soon, boss.'

'He's never going to stop that, is he?' Harry asked despairingly when Blaise had gone.

'No,' Severus answered unapologetically. 'I'm sure it will do you good. The entire wizarding world _has_ just proclaimed you a saint after all.'

'And I need someone to remind me that I'm just an arrogant brat?' Harry finished.

'You need someone to remind you that you're seventeen. Not the next Minister of Magic, or British diplomat, or Quidditch captain. A seventeen year-old boy who still needs to work on his potion-making, whether or not he has an exam.'

Harry smiled at that. In Snape terms, that was affectionate mocking. 'I don't know, Professor, when the exciting world of international diplomacy awaits...'

Snape glared. 'I need to run a quick check on the school grounds. By the time I return, I expect you to have returned to the real world. He left

'You really should be fighting for some of the credit, you know,' Harry said. 'I hardly did anything. You all could have died! You really shouldn't have done that by the way.'

'We promised,' Ron answered.

'Our lives,' Hermione added.

'That seems to be the answer of the day,' Harry said.

'So, Harry,' Hermione said, changing the subject. 'What are you really going to do?'

'What do you mean?'

'After school.'

'Do you still want to be an Auror? Or, I know Snape didn't mean it, but you could be in politics.'

Harry smiled.

'What?' Ron demanded.

Harry looked over at Draco and mouthed: _I made promises too_. 'I have a few ideas.'

* * *

Thank you to everyone who read or reviewed this story. It was a lot of fun, and I'm kind of sorry to be finished. But HBP comes out tomorrow! So I'm sure none of you will miss me that much. Special thanks to Michelle, who betaed a lot for me. To HecateDeMort, Cithara, angel of chaos, crystal, Love Alchemist, Serpent of Light and everyone else who reviewed so often and made my day. I love you all. hugs So I hope that you enjoyed the end of the story. (I hope my last minute editting didn't leave too many typos) and see you after we're all done with HBP! (yay to new plot-bunnies)

BlackEyedGirl  
xox


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